Tag: Paul Soliai

Dolphins offseason wish list should include some big names

Mar. 07 Opinion

 

By Cyrus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)

The Miami Dolphins, after giving Brent Grimes the deal that he has earned, will field an above average defense yet again.

While most of the offseason attention is on the offense and how it needs 4 new offensive linemen, I find the idea of using a first round pick and a lot of money to fill two of those positions, offensive.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Yes, assuming the rookie and veteran play up to their potential, the Dolphins would have a solid line, which is a step in the right direction.

However, steps in the right direction get you fired and back into rebuilding sooner or later. The team must take a leap into greatness while Starks, Soliai, Wake and Grimes are still great or they may as well start fresh already.

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Time for the Dolphins to move on and prioritize this offseason

Jan. 28 Opinion

 

The Miami Dolphins just had a very public and very poor showing in front of the rest of the National Football League.  The Dolphins were turned down by 7 men for their open General Manager position.  We don’t need to rehash all of what happened because we all lived through it.  It was sad, disappointing, and frustrating.  We’ve all witnessed what has transpired over the last 5 months.  The Dolphins mediocre play on the field had it’s ups and downs….The Dolphins public relations department had its hands full with the Incognito/Martin fiasco….The Dolphins fired their General Manager and hired a new one, while keeping their head coach in place.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

But it is in the past, it’s time to move on.  Joe Philbin will be the Dolphins Head Coach in 2014….Dennis Hickey will be the Dolphins General Manager in 2014…..and Dawn Aponte will be the Dolphins capologist in 2014….and barring some major shakeup, Ryan Tannehill will be the Dolphins starting quarterback in September.

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Dolphins interview Pats executive Nick Caserio

Jan. 24 News and Notes

 

The Miami Dolphins moved quickly after learning that the ‘front-runner’ for their open GM position was no longer interested in the position.  Friday morning reports surfaced that the Dolphins would be interviewing Nick Caserio, the Director of Pro Player Personnel for the Patriots.  The Dolphins are thought to have 3 other candidates still in mind for the open GM position, but apparently still wanted to reach out to Caserio.  The others still in contention include Brian Gaine (Dolphins), Dennis Hickey (Bucs), and Lake Dawson (Titans). It’s believed that Gaine and possibly Dawson have already been told they are finalists for the position.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Caserio is an interesting name and probably jumps to the top of the Dolphins wish list.  He’s been with the Patriots since 2001 and has been everything from a scout to their wide receivers coach.  He would come from a winning program in which he was surrounded by sound football personnel.  Most importantly, he’s seen first hand how a perennial contender is built. I think the bigger question is whether or not he would want to leave the Patriots to come to a Dolphins team that is rumored by NFL execs to have the plague.

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Monday Dolphins GM update: Dolphins interview 5 candidates

Jan. 13 News and Notes

 

While the rest of us were watching the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Miami Dolphins executives were hard at work, interviewing candidates for the open GM position. The Dolphins are looking to find a replacement for Jeff Ireland and they appear to be moving very quickly to do so.  Remember, this is the most important time of the year for a general manager in the NFL.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The senior bowl is less than 2 weeks away (January 25th), the combine is in late February (19th-25th, and free agency opens up in early March (11th). So, as you can tell, whoever the Dolphins new GM is, he will have a lot of work to do.  First, he’ll have to meet with Coach Philbin to see what type of players the Dolphins Head Coach wants for his systems.  Then, he’ll have to speak with all of the personnel staff (college and pro scouting).  And while all of those meetings are going on, he’ll probably be trying to re-sign some of the Dolphins key players whose contracts are up on March 10th (Brent Grimes, Bryant McKinnie, Paul Soliai, Randy Starks, etc.).

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A first look at players the Dolphins might target this offseason

Dec. 31 Opinion

 

By Cyrus Lassus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)

The Miami Dolphins offseason has begun and the time to make plans for 2014 has begun.  Many would say fire everybody, but I am closer to saying bring everybody back.

Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Brent Grimes, Richie Incognito, Dustin Keller, Tyson Clabo, Chris Clemons, Bryant McKinnie and Nolan Carroll are the top unrestricted free agents and they are all NFL caliber starters at their positions, some of them Pro Bowlers.  Only Brent Grimes seems to qualify for a pay raise, so it should not be too costly to keep your best players.

Photo courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo courtesy of Dolphins.com

Other unrestricted free agents are in the fringe roster spot category Chris Owens, Austin Spitler, Marlon Moore and John Jerry, who actually is a starter for Miami’s beleaguered offensive line.  I have no problem with camp invites for all of those guys, along with the restricted free agents, RJ Stanford, Danny Watkins, Pat Devlin and Will Yeatman.

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Dolphins WAKE up and pull out win over the Bengals

Nov. 01 News and Notes

The Miami Dolphins took the first step in saving their 2013 season last night.  They also might have taken the first step in saving their head coach’s and general manager’s jobs.   The Dolphins never quit despite blowing a 14 point lead for the second week in a row.  Their defense, which was exhausted from a never-ending 3rd quarter, ultimately made the play that decided the game.  This was a team win…. a win this team can build on…… a win that came on a short week when the team was surrounded by negativity.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The Dolphins offense moved the ball effectively in the 1st half, running for 142 yards.  They built a 10-3 lead at the half.  Then, with the Bengals driving in the 3rd quarter, Brent Grimes stepped in front of an Andy Dalton pass and took it to the house, giving the Dolphins a 17-3 lead. The problem is that the Bengals drive consumed over 7 minutes of game clock and 14 plays.  After the Grimes TD, the Bengals got the ball right back and the Dolphins defense wilted, allowing a 12 play, 80 yard TD drive.

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Dolphins need major changes after awful performance against the Ravens

Oct. 07 News and Notes

The Miami Dolphins were hoping to enter their bye week on a positive note.  They were hoping to bounce back from their ugly loss on Monday Night.  Unfortunately for the Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill is only able to do so much for this team.  I know that Tannehill isn’t perfect, he still has a lot to learn and to improve on.  BUT, the Dolphins are relying far too much on him at this point in his career.  The Dolphins essentially abandoned the run in this game, their line couldn’t block, and their receivers couldn’t hold onto the football.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The Dolphins weren’t particularly sharp all day, but things got worse as the day went on.  The Dolphins and Ravens traded field goals in the first half until Tannehill directed a 7 play, 60 yard touchdown drive right before halftime.  The Dolphins took a 13-6 lead into halftime, but saw that quickly disappear after halftime.  In fact, the Dolphins would trail 23-13 late in the 3rd quarter.  The Ravens scoring drive immediately following halftime was aided by 2 huge pass defensive interference calls.  Those two penalties gave the Raiders 55 yards.  FIFTY-FIVE YARDS.

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Latest Dolphins injury update: Wake questionable, Soliai probable

Oct. 05 News and Notes

This Sunday, the Miami Dolphins face AFC conference rival and reigning world champions Baltimore Ravens. The challenges facing Miami will continue; Injuries to starters and key players, the inability of the offensive line to protect QB Ryan Tannehill and play makers not stepping up when needed and not living up to their expectations.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The latest injury report from the Miami Dolphins is out and it is still probably the biggest area of concern for team and fans alike.  Below is the latest injury report, courtesy of Dolphins.com:

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Despite loss, Dolphins still in good shape in AFC East

Oct. 03 AFC East Preview

The Miami Dolphins lost their first game of the season on Monday night.  The Dolphins  loss was ugly….really ugly.  All of the Dolphins weaknesses were expose and pointed out to the entire nation.  The Saints played the role of Simon Cowell on Monday night, but the Dolphins still have more chances to succeed this season.  Yes, the loss  dropped them into second place in the AFC East, but maybe the loss was the wake up call that this team needed.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

After winning close games against Indy and Atlanta, the Dolphins were brimming with confidence.  The Saints promptly knocked that confidence out of them.  The loss sucks, but if the Dolphins were going to lose one of their first 4 games, you’d want it to be against wither the Saints or Falcons, as they are NFC teams.  The Dolphins are still 2-0 in the AFC, but they must rebound quickly when they take on the Ravens at Sun Life Stadium.  Let’s fill the stadium again and give the Dolphins a loud, raucous 12th man.  If you need tickets, you can still get them here.

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Take a deep breath Dolphins fans, there is hope

Oct. 02 Opinion

There are many points to be made about Monday night’s Miami Dolphins game, which readily come to mind without getting too deep into stats and analysis. First, let us not forget that this is a team has been and continues to be plagued by injuries, and not just to borderline players, but to some of our best, specifically, Wake, Soliai, and Patterson. There were others who were questionable right up to game time and who were less than 100% healthy. Soliai, to our surprise, did play for a bit and his presence was felt immediately. So it should be no surprise that once he left the game, the Dolphins appeared lost and unable to stop the Saints. The point is that had the Dolphins been somewhat healthier, with at least Soliai available for the game, the outcome may have been quite different.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

I would like to make two points before offering a general perspective on the game. and the first one comes in the form of an almost rhetorical question that has been asked before, but that may be important enough to merit being asked again. What is the point of deferring after winning the coin toss? I am not going to judge the logic of it if the wind is factor, but on Monday night the game was being played inside a dome… superstition? Maybe.

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