Tag: Joe Philbin

The crystal ball: 1st Round Mock Draft

Apr. 25 AFC East Preview, Breaking News, Dolphins Gameplan, Miami Musings, News and Notes, Opinion, Uncategorized 10 comments

After about eight long months of intense draft preparations, we have all officially survived mock draft season and the real deal is finally here. As Mel Kiper has stated, “This has not been a comfortable year to do mock drafts.” Here we are less than 24 hours away from Roger Goodell announcing Kansas City is on the clock and there is still debate on who the pick should be. There are simply no ‘locks’ in this draft years draft, but with no ‘locks’ I can assure you there will be plenty of steals.

We here at PhinNation encourage comments, criticisms, and questions regarding our intelligence, or furthermore our sanity at this point in time. Enjoy!

Pick Position               Selection
1 Kansas City  OT     Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2 Jacksonville  OLB      Dion Jordan, Oregon
3 Oakland       QB      Geno Smith, W.Va
4 Philadelphia  OT        Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
5 Detroit        CB        Dee Milliner, ‘Bama
6 Cleveland     DE        Ziggy Ansah, BYU
7 Arizona       OT        Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
8 Buffalo         QB         Matt Barkely, USC
9 NYJ              FS         Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
10 Tennessee    OG         Chance Warmack, ‘Bama
11 San Diego    OT         DJ Fluker, ‘Bama
12 Miami           WR          Tavon Austin, W.Va
13 NYJ           DE/OLB     Keke Mingo, LSU
14 Carolina         DT         Shariff Floyd, Florida
15 New Orleans OLB       Jarvis Jones, Georgia
16 St. Louis         OG         Jon Cooper, UNC
17   Pittsburgh    DE          Bjoren Werner, FSU
18 Dallas            DT          Star Lotulelei, Utah
19 NYG              TE           Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
20 Chicago          OT          Menelik Watson, FSU
21 Cincinnati     WR         Cordarrelle Patterson, Tenn.
22 St. Louis         WR         DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
23 Minnesota     WR         Keenan Allen, California
24 Indianapolis    CB         Xavier Rhodes, FSU
25 Minnesota      DT        Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
26 Green Bay       RB         Eddie Lacy, ‘Bama
27 Houston          QB        Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
28 Denver            CB         Dez Trufant, Wash.
29 New England   WR        Justin Hunter, Tenn.
30 Atlanta             CB         DJ Hayden, Houston
31 San Francisco DE         Datone Jones, UCLA
32 Baltimore         LB          Arthur Brown, Kansas St

The Dolphins recent rumblings sending Bess to Cleveland lead to the selection of WR/RB/KR/PR Tavon Austin. Many will consider this a luxury pick, but the combination of Mike Wallace and Tavon Austin will bring an entire new dimension to the Dolphins offense.
Be sure to follow @Phinfanlyst on twitter for further analysis throughout the draft Saturday.

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5 bold predictions for the Dolphins 2013 Draft

Apr. 15 Opinion 8 comments

The NFL draft is about 1 week away and the Miami Dolphins are in the process of preparing their draft board.  Personally, the NFL Draft has always been one of my favorite events of the NFL season, comparable at times to an actual game (crazy, I know!).  I used to host Draft parties every season because the 1st-3rd rounds would take place on a Saturday afternoon.  The perfect time to assemble friends, talk sports, and possible engage in some beverage consumption (I’m being politically correct here).  Anyway, the NFL, in it’s infinite wisdom, decided to make the Draft into a Prime Time event.  That meant switching the first few rounds to Thursday and Friday nights.  Here’s the schedule for this year’s Draft:

Thursday, April 25th – 1st round

Friday, April 26th – 2nd & 3rd rounds

Saturday, April 27th – 4th-7th rounds

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Although the Dolphins one pick on Thursday has gotten the most attention, fans calling for everyone from Lane Johnson to Tavon Austin, the core of this Dolphins draft will take place on Friday in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.  The Dolphins first pick, whomever he might be, should be a starter from day 1. A top 12 pick that isn’t a QB, should be an immediate starter.  However, with 4 picks combined between rounds 2-3, the Dolphins have a chance to hit a home run in this draft.  Those picks will be what make or break this draft.  

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Report: Dolphins are not as high on Lane Johnson as once suspected

Apr. 12 News and Notes 8 comments

Yesterday, Jeff Ireland spoke about the Dolphins offensive line and said that Nate Garner was one of their ‘core guys’.  The Dolphins aren’t admitting that they have a glaring need at offensive tackle…..but everyone knows it.  The Dolphins will address either the left tackle or the right tackle position, early in the draft…they have to.  That is, of course, unless they manage to pry Brandon Albert away from the Chiefs for a pick that’s lower than the 2nd rounder they’re said to be asking for him.  But most likely, the Dolphins will need to find a starting tackle in the draft.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Earlier this week, the word on the street (and according to the Palm Beach Post) was that the Dolphins were ‘high’ on Lane Johnson.  Johnson is one of the top 3 let tackle prospects in this draft.  It was believed that to get Johnson, the Dolphins would need to trade up, since he is expected to go within the top 10 picks (and the Dolphins currently sit at #12).

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Dolphins’ Philbin is ‘not a huge fan’ of Greg Jennings?

Feb. 25 News and Notes 2 comments

Well Dolphins fans, it seems as though the Dolphins list of potential wide receivers may have just shrunk again. The Dolphins have made no secret of the fact that they want to acquire a wide receiver in free agency.  The Dolphins realize that Ryan Tannehill will only be able to improve if they add weapons to the roster this offseason.  There has been a lot of talk about the Dolphins focusing their attention on Mike Wallace, soon to be free agent from Pittsburgh.  The other names we’ve all been talking about are Dwayne Bowe and Greg Jennings.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Well, that list might be cut down to 1 potential name.  First, we read reports last week that the Chiefs were keen on bringing back Dwayne Bowe.  Andy Reid is the new sheriff in Chief-land and doesn’t want to undertake a long rebuilding project.  The Chiefs are believed to already have a trade in place with the 49ers to acquire Alex Smith, although the deal hasn’t been announced yet.  So that means that the chances of Bowe making it to free agency are pretty low.

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Greg Jennings to Dolphins Coach: “Remember me?”

Feb. 02 News and Notes 3 comments

One of the positions the Miami Dolphins will attempt to upgrade this offseason is the wide receiver position.  The Dolphins might end up having their choice of either Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings, or Dwayne Bowe.  Any of the three would instantly become the Dolphins best wide receiver and all have Pro Bowl talent.   If all 3 get to free agency without being signed by their own team, the Dolphins would only have to surrender cash for their services.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The big unknown is which of the 3 soon-to-be free agents, the Dolphins like best.  Which of the 3 fits Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman’s offense?  The most common answer to that question would probably be Greg Jennings, considering he played in a very similar offense when he and Philbin were in Green Bay together.   Is Jennings the best choice for the Dolphins?  Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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If I were Jeff Ireland……….Part 3 (Who to draft)

Jan. 24 Opinion 3 comments

Alright Dolphins fans, this is the third and final installment of our offseason plan.  The Dolphins haven’t even gotten to the point where they have resigned any of their own free agents and we’re about to finish our full offseason plan.  Can you tell we’re anxious for the offseason to get underway?!  If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of our plans, you can click on here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

Some Dolphins have posed some good questions regarding our plan, most notably about our desire to sign Jermichael Finley.  It’s a risk, I’ll admit that.  However, if he is released and will only cost money, I think the potential upside far outweighs the downside.  Besides, how many other seam threat tight ends are out there?

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Part 3 – Which players to draft

Alright, so we’ve made it this far in our offseason plan.  We’ve added some speed and explosiveness on offense, adding Mike Wallace and Jermichael Finley, while resigning Reggie Bush.  On defense, we’ve resigned Sean Smith and Randy Starks, but there are two big needs remaining as we enter the draft.  We need to find a starting cornerback and a defensive end that can provide some pass rush opposite Cameron Wake.  We will also be looking for a QB for depth and a young receiver to add to the mix.  The rest of the draft will focus on depth.

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If I were Jeff Ireland……Part 2 (What players to sign from other teams)

Jan. 23 Opinion 9 comments

If I were Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, I would have roughly $24 million in cap space to bring in some free agents this offseason.  How did I get to this number?  You can check Part 1 of our ‘If I were Jeff Ireland’ series to find out.  In short, I would resign Brian Hartline, Sean Smith, Reggie Bush, Randy Starks, and Anthony Fasano.  I’ve also let Jake Long and Matt Moore test free agency and cut Richard Marshall, Dan Carpenter, and Michael Egnew.   In Part 2 of this series, we are going to walk you through which free agents from other teams, we’ll look to add to the Dolphins roster to improve it.  Let’s face it, our plan keeps stability at almost every position, now it’s time to make it better.  At this point, we have the following needs on our roster: Backup QB, Kicker, #1 WR, #1 TE, #2 DE (opposite Cam Wake), #1 CB, #1 RT

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Part 2 – Which players to sign from other teams

The main theme for this free agency period will be to sign players that will help the development of Ryan Tannehill.  Let’s face it, last year he had Reggie Bush and then a lot of pedestrian players around him.  I know Brian Hartline put up a 1,000 yard season, but he scored just 1 touchdown, which simply isn’t good enough.  So we’re looking to add some explosiveness with the remaining $24 million we have in cap room.  That figure, by the way, takes into account the roughly $6 million that is needed to sign draft picks.  Time to do some shopping and roster upgrading.

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Dolphins should look to SEC for players in the Draft

Jan. 11 Opinion no comments

The Miami Dolphins front office is currently analyzing the team’s roster and identifying what needs they must address as they enter the offseason.  The Dolphins plan to be active in free agency, which could set them up nicely for the Draft.  Free Agency comes first, in March, and depending on what holes the Dolphins fill during that time, it will directly effect which players and positions they target in the Draft.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Because free agency will determine which players the Dolphins target in the draft, it is difficult to project whom the Dolphins will select.  However, if I can offer one bit of advice to Jeff Ireland, it would be to take a very close look at the Southeastern Conference (SEC).  The SEC is widely accepted as the best conference (by far) in college football.  I was curious (and bored) and decided to do a little research, which I will share with you below.  My conclusion is that the Dolphins would be wise to select and SEC player or 2 (or 3).

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Dolphins player says Michael Egnew is a p***y

Jan. 09 News and Notes 4 comments

The Miami Dolphins are in full offseason mode, looking at ways to make the 2013 roster better than the 2012 version.  One player that might not want to buy a house in South Florida too quickly is the Dolphins 3rd round pick from 2012, Michael Egnew.  Egnew, you see will forever be linked to a former Dolphins playmaker, Brandon Marshall.  The 3rd round pick used to select Egnew was one of the 2 third round picks gained from the Bears.  Egnew, however, was a huge disappointment in 2012.  Egnew was inactive for the Dolphins first 14 games of the season.  He did get some playing time after Charles Clay was placed on injured reserve, but he failed to make any sort of an impact in the games against Buffalo and New England.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Well, today, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote a story that discusses what the Dolphins think about Egnew…..Hint: they aren’t that high on the former Missouri Tight End.  Mando spoke with one player who said:

“He should have been cut this year,”

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Ross: “I’m willing to spend whatever it takes”…..but on what?

Jan. 07 News and Notes 1 comment

The Miami Dolphins season ended a week ago, but with the spotlight of the National Championship game coming to South Florida tonight, the Dolphins owner couldn’t help himself.  Stephen Ross spoke with Dolphins media representatives this afternoon for about 22-23 minutes.  Mr. Ross is a very accomplished businessman and is obviously very smart.  That’s why, when he makes statements like he did today, we can’t help but scratch our heads.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The Dolphins are heading into a very important offseason in a few weeks.  The Dolphins, by most estimations, will have about $46 mil in cap room to accompany their 5 high draft picks in the first 3 rounds of the draft.  This is a franchise defining offseason for a Dolphins franchise that has not won a playoff game since Bill Clinton was in the White House.

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