Category: Opinion

Why Caserio should be the Dolphins next General Manager

Jan. 25 Opinion

 

By Cyrus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)

I have a feeling Nick Caserio will be the Dolphins new General Manager soon and I could not be happier about it.

A college quarterback who put in three years as a graduate assistant before joining the Patriots in 2001, Nick stands out as the best candidate for the job.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

In his thirteen years in New England he went from Personnel Assistant to Offensive Coaching Assistant to Area Scout to Director of Pro Personnel to Wide Receivers Coach and finally, Director of Player Personnel, a title he has held since 2008.

I am most impressed by his year as wide receiver coach, as it coincides with Tom Brady’s NFL record 50 touchdown season, and his current run as the director of player personnel.

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Part 3: A realistic Miami Dolphins mock draft

Jan. 22 Opinion

 

By Miami Jules (@Miami_Jules on Twitter)

The 2014 draft is being advertised as one that is offensive tackle and guard deep. The Dolphins have the obvious needs we all know about coming off the franchise record breaking season in sacks allowed, but the Dolphins also had other needs. The inability to stop the run was an understated worry, especially since the Dolphins defense ranked close to the top in the NFL in that department before Kevin Coyle joined the team. One has to take into consideration the shift from a 3-4 to the 4-3 defense and the impact this shift had in defending against the run. This article will not explore or analyze the 4 – 3 or even Kevin Coyle as a defensive coordinator, its focus will be the draft, however,  there are questions on the return of some of our current  defensive players and our secondary was still, if not plagued, but at least challenged by some of the star’s injury issues.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Part 1 of this series, analyzed 5 players in the order I felt they should be drafted, unfortunately, it is very probable that some of these players may not be available on draft day when the Dolphins turn comes up. These are the 5 players previously analyzed in Part 1 of the series:

1-Cyrus Kuoandjio           OT

2-Anthony Steen             OG

3-DaQuan Jones             DT

4-JaWuan James            OT

5-Aaron Colvin                CB

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Part 2: Looking deeper into possible Dolphins draft targets

Jan. 21 Opinion

 

By Miami Jules (@Miami_Jules on Twitter)

The NFL  draft is more than just a 3 day event during which NFL team owners, managers, and coaches huddle in their “war room” hoping that the players they select will go on to be productive ones for their respective teams.  The process leading up to the selection of players on draft day, involves months of  the studying of film, careful evaluations, not just of the players but of the systems these players played in, along with meticulous analysis of players’ past athletic, academic and personal overall history and character. These evaluations and analyses are undertaken by each team’s scouts who then present their findings to the higher levels of the organization as a narrowed down package of yet additional evaluations and analysis to be made, followed by interviews.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

We, as fans or arm-chair draft analysts, obviously do not have access to this process and the best we can do is evaluate what we perceive to be the needs or weaknesses of our favorite team and try to match them with players who are entering the draft. We then hope that on draft day, after we have looked at film on these payers and studied what is available to us, the player we have in mind isn’t selected by a rival team 1 pick before our turn on the clock starts. It is for that reason, that I’ve prepared 3 different sets of selections and have tried to pass along to the reader as much information on these players as possible.

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Part 1: An early look at potential Dolphins Draft targets

Jan. 20 Opinion

 

By Miami Jules (Miami_Jules on Twitter)

We really don’t know in which direction the Miami Dolphins are headed in. Rumors abound and the speculations are many. We cannot control, as fans, the direction our Miami Dolphins will take, or who the ultimate lead navigator for the organization will end up being, but whoever it turns out to be, this person will have some very important decisions to make rather soon. We will explore some of these choices, specifically, those regarding candidates entering the draft.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

We know we had an offensive line that struggled through the season, which is an understatement, and that is perhaps, barring a very few exceptions, a subject which most of the fans can agree on. The offensive line then, would deserve top priority according to most of us, but there are also other areas in which the team’s performance could’ve been considered less than stellar, but then there are also questions about current players who have become free agents, and also about cap room space which can be made by releasing or trading some returning players. Based on these needs and questions, it is then that we can begin to take a look at prospective draft choices these decision makers will be face with in the next couple of months.

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Did the Dolphins trade Davone Bess because of a mental illness?

Jan. 20 Opinion

 

By Cyrus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)
Davone Bess was placed in a mental hospitalized against his own will in March of 2013.

It is the single most disappointing Miami Dolphins news I have read in a while, because he was coincidentally traded in April of 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Brandon Marshall was traded in March of 2012, days after allegedly striking a woman in a bar.  He is the face for borderline personality disorder, a condition that carries an 8-10 percent suicide rate.

In August of 2012, Chad Johnson was released after a domestic violence incident – the first legal problem he has ever encountered.  He has not been diagnosed with a condition, but his alleged action showed mental instability.

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The Dolphins need a new General Manager; I’ll apply!

Jan. 17 Opinion

 

By Cyrus Lassus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)
Dear Mr. Ross,

I have followed the Miami Dolphins closely for over two decades and covered them for PhinNation in 2013.

It is very important to me that the franchise finds a General Manager capable of leading the team back into its rightful place amongst the NFL’s elite.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Please allow me to boldly present my plan of action.

The first item on the agenda is to trade Mike Wallace, cut Marcus Thigpen and sign Ted Ginn Jr.

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Why I love the Dolphins hiring Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator

Jan. 15 Opinion

 

By: Bill (@PhinNation on Twitter; PhinNation on Facebook)

The Miami Dolphins have spent their offseason thinking about what could have been had their offense scored more than a total of 7 points during the final 2 games of the season.  They could’ve made it to the postseason and might’ve had a chance at advancing.  Since the Dolphins didn’t have playoff games to worry about, the powers that be have been interviewing candidates, trying to fill their General Manager and Offensive Coordinator positions. 

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The search for a new General Manager continues, with more interviews expected this week.  However, it seems as though the Offensive Coordinator search has come to an end.  The Dolphins have found their man, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN:

When I saw this tweet, I was shocked.  In fact, I was in the middle of writing a piece about how great an idea it would be to bring in Gary Kubiak as the Dolphins Offensive Coordinator.  But alas, Mort has cancelled that story!  I was also shocked because ESPN reported yesterday that Lazor was set to become the Offensive Coordinator in Detroit.

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Big decisions ahead for Stephen Ross, Dolphins

Jan. 10 Opinion

 

By Miami Jules (@Miami_Jules on Twitter)

Jeff Ireland is gone, so is offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and ahead, bright blue skies and ticket sales. OK, maybe higher ticket sales but there’s a lot of uncertainty going around, at least in the world of arm chair analysts on the Internet, but sports media reporters and insiders  don’t seem to know any better either. Rumors and tweets from media insiders with reliable sources claiming Jeff Ireland was safe, were being spread around like the Swine Flu right up to the moment in which the Jeff Ireland news broke bringing into question the accuracy of any and all reports and rumors.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

We now have the last remaining pockets of resistance from Jeff Ireland loyalists, who are emphatically claiming the Ireland departure was in part or mostly due to a Machiavellian plan concocted by VP of Football Administration Dawn Aponte, in order to oust the often embattled and misunderstood Ireland. There are also rumors, perhaps even unconfirmed reports about  Joe Philbin who has long been on Stephen Ross’ good side, enjoying a huge amount of authority and vetoing power within the Dolphins organization. Here’s the thing, whether these rumors or reports are true or not, if the perception exists around the league  that Joe Philbin’s power is such, the search for a new GM will probably yield less than desired results.

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A (Funny) tribute & thank you letter to Jeff Ireland

Jan. 09 Opinion

 

Dear Jeff Ireland,

After your 6 seasons of service with the Miami Dolphins, we here at PhinNation only felt that it would be appropriate to give you the proper send off you deserve.  You helped build the last Dolphins AFC East Championship team in 2008.  And we know you tried your best in the years that followed.  You know, the 7-9, 7-9, 6-10, 7-9, 8-8 years?  You tried and for that you should be commended.

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A look back at Jeff Ireland’s tenure with the Dolphins

Jan. 09 Opinion

 

By Cyrus (@cyruslassus on Twitter)

The “Fireland” campaign has been going on for years and with the voice of the people getting louder and louder, Stephen Ross finally caved into the public pressure and mutually agreed to part ways with Jeff Ireland.

Dolphin fans everywhere view this move as addition by subtraction, but I will reserve judgement until the next general manager proves to be better and not just more likable.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

While it is easy to zero in on the mistakes he committed, I will start with some of the highlights of his tenure.

He was great at picking up acorns.

Cameron Wake was signed from the Canadian Football League and the three time Pro Bowler had his contract extended through 2017.  Many give Bill Parcells credit for the signing, but the extension was all Ireland.  Richie Incognito became a Pro Bowler in Miami after being released by two teams.  Dimitri Patterson, who had an injury shortened career year, was picked up off of waivers from the Cleveland Browns late in 2012.

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