'72 Dolphins Speak

1972 DOLPHINS STATEMENTS ON PATRIOTS



Head Coach Don Shula

“Going undefeated during the regular season is a remarkable achievement. I know first hand how difficult it is to win every game, and just as we did in 1972, the Patriots have done a great job concentrating on each week’s opponent and not letting any other distractions interrupt that focus. If they go on to complete an undefeated season, I will be the first to congratulate Coach Belichick and the Patriot organization.”



Defensive Tackle Manny Fernandez

“Congratulations to the Patriots for winning all of their regular season games. If they finish without a loss, it’s almost going to be a relief to me. That way, the media will start to call them the first eight or nine games each year whenever a team starts undefeated instead of calling us. That will give us a break.”



Quarterback Bob Griese

“I want to congratulate the Patriots on going undefeated during the regular season. I know Tom Brady well because he played at Michigan with my son, Brian. I’ve followed his career ever since then and have the greatest respect for him as a player. He is having one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL quarterback, and his outstanding performance has been a major factor in the Patriots’ success this year. I hope he continues to play at such a high level in the playoffs, and if he does it will be very difficult to beat them the rest of the way.”



Running Back Jim Kiick

“If they finish up undefeated, I would be the one of the first to help lift their chair up on the mountaintop. Going undefeated in the regular season is a great accomplishment. But I’m sure going 16-0 isn’t important to them – they wan to go 19-0. If they finish 18-1 by losing the Super Bowl, there’s no doubt they would look at it as a disappointing season. And that’s the way we viewed it back in 1972. Our main objective wasn’t going undefeated, it was to win the Super Bowl. So it’s great that they’ve gotten this far, but I know what’s really important to them is to win that last game, not necessarily all the ones before it.”



Guard Bob Kuechenberg

“They’ve done a heck of a job thus far. But now the exhibition season is over and the real season begins. Obviously, if they can win their first playoff game, beat an even more dangerous Colts team, and then Brett Favre or the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl, I will be the first to take my hat off to them. If they can pull it off, they will have earned it.

“But my heart is dead set against it. The ’72 team in uniquely immortal in American sports and I don’t want us to lose that special place. We will forever be immortal, and if they win every game in front of them, then they will join us among those ranks. They will have deserved it ant I will congratulate them. But something in my heart makes me feel that we accomplished something so special that it forever sets the standard of excellence in sports.

“Imperfect is mortal. Perfect is immortal.”



Tight End Jim Mandich

“My sincerest congratulations go out to the Patriots. In this salary cap-era, free agency-era, I didn’t think it could be done, and the Patriots did it. They are a remarkable team. They are terrifically coached, and if somebody was going to tie the Miami Dolphins record in the regular season of going unbeaten, it’s appropriate that it would be the Patriots because they are a class act.”



Quarterback Earl Morrall

“I’d like to congratulate the New England Patriots. They’ve had a great run and a great season in winning all of their games. I’m sure if they look at it, it’s a difficult thing to do. They play great football, so you’ve got to compliment them on that. Now you’ve got to see if they can finish it and go the distance – the playoffs, championship and Super Bowl. You’ve got those to go to end up perfect, and we’ll be the first ones to congratulate them if they do it.”



Running Back Mercury Morris

“My feeling about it is as consistent as it has been all year. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not they win them all because it doesn’t affect anything we’ve done. When all the dust clears, the best they can do is to stand beside us, and in the end, that’s not a bad thing. I will welcome them to the neighborhood with my Mr. Rogers sweater on, but first they have

Dolphins vs. Pats Running Blog

Thought I'd tell you exactly what I think as it happens. Enjoy!

--Great start, three and out, two drops and you gave the Pat's great field position.

--Good job by the 'Phins letting Wes Welker go he only has 97 catches and over 1,000 yards receiving. Tom Brady really took his time this game it took him 10 plays and over five minutes to score.

--New England 7 Miami 0

--Another solid outing by the 'Phins offense, one run and two crappy pass plays.

--Do you think Bill Parcells and Jason Garrett are watching this game and wondering if Bill can fire Cam Cameron tomorrow and name Garrett the coach.

--Joey Porter is great it only took him 30 seconds to get to Brady.

--Why is Belichick punting, did he take the under?

--Nice job by Cam to wait 'til the third series to start running, did Bill make a phone call?

--Hey Joey Porter is pretty fast, he ran right next to Lawrence Maroney for 30 yards for he decided he wanted to make a tackle.

End of the 1st Q

New England 7 Miami 0

--I like how all week the defensive players were saying that they need to get pressure on Brady and Cam has decided to rush three guys.

--Travis Daniels is awful he is the definition of the '07 Dolphins, he has gotten worst as the season has gone on.

--Hey, Randy Moss scores again...at least no Dolphin got hurt on this one.

--New England 14 Miami 0

--If people really did freak out if/when Burger King took the "Whopper" off the menu then I am embarrassed to be a human being.

--The commentators have already given up on this game, they're talking playoff situations for other teams.

--That was quick Maroney scores again !!! on a personal note I'm pissed he did crap all year for my fantasy team. He now has two runs for over 50 yards and one touchdown.

--New England 21 Miami 0

--This is sad the Dolphins offense is pathetic but there is hope 'Phins recover a muffed punt...how long until they screw this up? My bet is four plays.

--One play, Jesse Chatman puts the team in a huge hole by running backwords again I underestimate how bad this team is.

--Another QB ties and will soon break a Dan Marino record, the perfect season continues. Tom Brady now has 48 TD's after his pass to Jabar Gaffney.

--New England 28 Miami 0

--Nice pass by Cleo Lemon to David Martin too bad it was ruined by another bad call by Cam Cameron. Why would you spike the ball with 1:11 to go and your playing the Pats? Did you want to the Pats more time?

--Half Time

New England 28 Miami 0

--Hey Dolpins make a play a Jason Alle INT, but then he decides to run it out of the end zone and gets taken down at the 10. Why does this team always do something wrong even when they make a good play?

--Why would Cleo run out of bounds instead of into the end zone, what is he thinking. It's being reviewed, no way it's a touchday.

--Touchdown Greg "Rich" Camarillo, nice pass nice throw, both are worthless in this game.

--New Enland 28 Miami 7

--End of 3Q

New England 28 Miami 7

--Strange that Ted Ginn is getting so many passes, seems like someone is trying to justify his guys to Bill Parcells.

--How the hell does John Beck not throw a pass in this game?

--Game Over

New England 28 Miami 7

--Smile Dolphans only one more game of this crap.

Miami Basketball Give me a Break

The hype surrounding Miami Hurricanes basketball is just that hype, this team is a low end mid level team in the ACC.

The 'Canes have beaten Florida Southern, Marist, Virginia Commonwealth, Morgan State, Alabama State, Florida International, Stetson, North Florida and North Carolina A & T. Wow, let me call Ripley's and see if they believe that the 'Canes ran through a collection of Sun-Belt, Atlantic Sun and MEAC teams.

Now I know that all 'Cane fans are going to point to Providence, Mississippi State and St.Johns as proof that the 'Canes are for real. Lets take a look at each team a little closer.

Providence - The Friars are 8-3 on the season with quality wins over Arkansas and Florida State. Their win over the Razorbacks just happened to be the game before their match-up with the 'Canes. I'm inclined to believe that Providence didn't take the 'Canes seriously and were overconfident after pulling off a upset a few nights earlier.

Mississippi State - The Bulldogs gave the 'Canes a good run, losing 64-58, good the know that a last place team can test the 'Canes. The Bulldogs are last in the SEC West and just lost to Texas A & M Corpus Cristi.

St.Johns - The Red Storm are third from last in the Big East, 5-4 overall. No surprise that St.Johns has nothing that resembles a quality win.

Lets take a look at the numbers.

The 'Canes have only three players in double figures in scoring, no player is close to double figures in rebounds and not a single player averages even five assist a game. A good team would not only be racking up wins against this pathetic schedule, they would be piling up stats.

The rest of the Schedule

This next month will show what the 'Canes really are...pretenders.

Georgia Tech(1/12)Boston College (1/15), at North Carolina St. (1/19), North Carolina (1/25), Clemson (1/27), at Wake Forrest (1/29).

Sorry South Florida sports fan, 'Canes basketball is not the winner you hoped it would be. In fact don't be surprised if they don't even make the NCAA tournament, the NCAA doesn't care about great starts they care about how you finish.

Tuna Surprise

Baring any last minute changes, it looks like Bill Parcells will be heading to the Miami Dolphins to be their new Vice President of Football Operations. Published reports have the "Big Tuna" signing a contract within the next 48 hours and that means changing in the front office and coaching staff could be coming soon.

Oddly Cam Cameron's job could be safe, even stranger, Bobby Knight might be the reason why. Parcells and Cameron are friends with Knight which by default may make Cameron a "Parcells Guy." Randy Mueller has to be on his way out the door because Parcells will want to be to hands on for someone like Mueller to accept.

The players, they didn't seem to really care....yet. Jason Taylor saw the report and laughed, saying that ESPN isn't always right and Joey Porter was cut off before he had a chance to answer. Vonnie Holliday seemed intrigued by the possibility of having the "Big Tuna" in house, he said "he's (Parcells) a guy that's going to get things turned around."

One thing is for sure, Cam won't be able to continue to bring in strays like Cleo Lemon and Greg Camarillo. Parcells is looking for young, athletic and extremely talented players so look for someone with a skill set like Patrick Clayton, instead of Camarillo around the locker room. No longer will this team be filled with "good guys" like Matt Roth instead look for players like Tank Johnson around the 'Phins. I'm all for it, this years team has proven that nice guys do finish last.


A few notes from Practice


Channing Crowder and Cameron Worrell both had knee surgerys. Worrell is out for the season, Crowder still up in the air.

Jason Taylor (Ankle) Joey Porter (Shoulder) and Keith Traylor (Knee), all did not practice today.

Jesse Chatman will likely be a game time decision.

Tim Tebow Facts

I'm not going to take credit for these great ideas...so check out timtebowfacts.com.
Here are some of my favorites.


Tim Tebow Facts

Tim Tebow can divide by zero

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Tim Tebow jumps out.

Tim Tebow doesn't actually write books, the words assemble themselves out of fear.

Tim Tebow sweats Gatorade

Tim Tebow doesn't throw up if he drinks too much. Tim Tebow throws down!
What color is Tim Tebow's blood? Trick question. Tim Tebow does not bleed.

It takes Tim Tebow 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.

Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas

Life doesn't give Tim Tebow lemons. Life asks him which fruit he wants

Tim Tebow always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego

Tim Tebow has never lost or tied in a game of Tic Tac Toe.

Nobody does it like Sara Lee. Except Tim Tebow.

Losers Lament

Not that I want anyone to feel sorry for me but let's take a look at the teams I cover on a daily basis.

The Miami Heat haven't won a home game since April 13th and after Wednesdays collapse against the Hawks I don't know if it will ever happen. There is no question that, at the very least, Dwayne Wade is rusty how else can you explain Josh Smith blocking Wade's game winning attempt.

Shaq is old and at least once a night I will see a play that makes his age painstakingly obvious. Against the Hawks the Heat tried to feed Shaq the ball on an alley-oop pass and both times Shaq had to catch, regroup and then take his shot. The result of those passes would have been four dynamic points...this year two shaky free-throws.

The Hurricanes are actually just sad, how else can you explain (-2) yards rushing against Virgina Tech. There is virtually no chance that this team goes to a bowl, but if they do every 'Cane fan should be grateful. 'Canes fans need to wake up and understand for the time being, National Championships, ACC Championships or anything beyond the MPC Computers Bowl is not a realistic goal. I don't see how those expectations will improve dramatically next year. Teams with red shirt Freshman don't win championships, so 'Canes fans you are going to have to wait another year 'till your relevant.

The Florida Panthers do win some games, or at least enough to keep .500 in site and to tease their loyal fan base. I'm at their game right now and Stephen Weiss just put the 'Cats up by one at the start of the third period. This team actually has a present and a future, they have talent to win now and youth to win for a long time. One of my favorite Panthers is David Booth, he has 6 goals and is instant energy off the bench.

As for the Dolphins, insert lame losing joke here, they did get Ricky Williams back on Monday, insert lame pot smoking reference here.

Ricky is a not just a star, he's a Super Nova, if you question my assessment head down to Davie one day and see how many T.V. trucks are there. 0-10 teams don't normally deserve and definitely don't garner this much attention, but Ricky makes the 'Phins exciting...at least for a while.

Cam Cameron is following the cliched mantra of "one day at a time" with Ricky. Cameron sticks to this lame theory despite the fact that Jesse Chatman can barely walk and everyone at camp marvels at how great Ricky looks. If Cam goes into Pittsburgh with Patrick Cobbs, Lorenzo Booker and Samkon Gado as his running backs he should be fired.

My theory for Ricky, he is named starter for the Monday night game against Pittsburgh. The 'Phins will make room for Ricky by placing Zach Thomas on the IR.

Losing my way

It has been a little while since my last blog so I want to catch up on a few things from the past week.

--Friday I was at the Phoenix Suns at the Miami Heat game and I was thrilled when they decided to reenact the 1997 All-Star Game. This was obviously done by Pat Riley in an effort to give fans a chance that to see “Penny” Hardaway, Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning and “Shaq” O’Neil all playing at the same time. You may not remember that the fans in Cleveland were robbed of this chance in 1997 because O’Neil and Mourning were selected but did not play in the game. Thanks Pat for letting us see what we were robbed of in 1997. FYI, if the Heat would have re-signed Gary Payton and Eddie Jones the Heaters could have fielded an entire ’97 All-Star team themselves. Don’t worry Heat fans there is still hope…Chris Webber is a free agent.

--Saturday’s closing of the Orange Bowl was a complete debacle and the worst part was it really wasn’t surprising that this ‘Canes team came out flat. Before the game I mentioned to a few reporters that “I hope this isn’t a blow out” and they all looked at me like I was taking crazy pills. My thought process was if the ‘Canes get down early their done because I’m sad to say this team lacks the effort required for a comeback.

Another problem for the ‘Canes was the fact the players seemed to ignore the game plan from the outset, they seemed certain that it was their right to win this game and played without any direction.

I feel bad for Kyle Wright because he’s gotten too much of the blame at Miami. Saturday’s loss wasn’t his best game and his career has fallen well short of what everyone had hoped, but take a look at what he’s worked with. Wright has had three offensive coordinators and two head coaches and a stock-pile of questionable receivers. I have a feeling next year some ‘Cane fans will wish they had Wright behind center and he can sit back and smile while he looks around an NFL locker room.

I am starting a petition to remove the “U” nickname from The University of Miami. If your team doesn’t even qualify for a bowl game then you should not have any nickname beside your team name, so until further notice they're the Hurricanes.

--The Miami Dolphins are losers; I don’t mean that they are hanging out with the Harry Potter crowd. They are losers in the truest sense of the word, they can’t win, they don’t know how to win and I don’t think they are going to win. Cam Cameron wasn’t a winner as a college coach (18-37 at Indiana) in fact he couldn’t even beat former ‘Phins coach Nick Saban when Saban was at Michigan State. Cameron lost both games against Saban, but at least they failed forward.

--The ‘Phins took the wrong Ohio State player; they should have waited until this years draft and taken Brian Robiskie. He has 48 catches for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns and is on pace to top all of Ginn’s numbers from last year. Robiskie is the son of ‘Phins receivers coach Terry Robiskie, Ginn played receiver for only one and half seasons at The Ohio State University.

--The Panthers have the hardest working promotions staff in South Florida. Every game they are giving away tons of prizes and tickets for future games. I don’t know anywhere else where you can get free parking and see local mascots

----Now you are caught up with my feeling about the devastation that is the South Florida sports landscape.

Hodgepodge

I’ve been all over South Florida again this week and I’ve decided to make a hodgepodge of my thoughts, enjoy.

What happened to the South Florida Bulls I thought they were the next big thing in the state. I thought they were going to challenge Miami and Florida State for the rights to be the third best team in the state. You know what happened to them….reality that’s what happened. The Bulls aren’t that good in fact they are the third best team in the Big East and if Louisville had any thing that resembled a defense the Cardinals would be ahead of the Bulls too. After the Bulls lose to Cincinnati today and later in the season to the previously mentioned Cardinals the Bulls may have a worse win/ loss record than Florida Atlantic University, the team that everyone loves to ignore.

Shaq is who I thought he was an overweight and unmotivated former superstar who doesn’t realize that if he wants to remain great in the latter stages of his career he needs to put in the effort. I agree with G-Stein (host of the Saturday Sports Page) that Shaq needs to stop complaining about not getting the ball enough and start working on finding ways to put the ball in the hole. When Dwayne Wade returns to the Heat, Shaq will become the third option behind Wade and Ricky Davis.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the Miami Hurricanes are an average and that they are ridiculously boring to watch. In the first half of this weekends game with the N.C. State Wolf Pack, Kirby Freeman was 1 of 6 for 84 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

What happened to all the whining and crying over the Orange Bowl closing? I was at today’s game and the crowd is pathetic, per the usual this year. Does everyone know that ‘Canes now only have one more game left at the Orange Bowl? On a similar note, former ‘Canes, and current FAU Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger will coach the second to last game ever at the Orange Bowl.

Finally if the Dolphins don’t start John Beck, Cam Cameron needs to be fired. There is no reason why Cleo Lemon needs to play another down for this team. The only reason why Cameron would play Lemon is to win at least one game this year and that would criminally short sighted by Cameron.

The future is now?

DAVIE – Obviously the big news at Dolphins camp today is the possibility of John Beck starting the November 11th game against the Bills. The majority of Dolphin fans are calling for the Beck Era to begin and I agree. The organization needs to find out now if Beck is the future of this team or just a career backup. Because the Dolphins can’t afford to enter next season without knowing if John Beck is the next Cleo Lemon or the next Brad Johnson.

The names Brad Johnson and Rich Gannon come to mind when I think of Beck and I don’t think Dolphin fans would complain about having a quarterback like that in a ‘Phins uniform. If you think Beck is the second coming of Marino, Montana or Favre your wrong, he projects along the lines of Gannon, Johnson and Trent Green.

Green didn’t have a full season as a starting quarterback until the age of 26, the same age as Beck, and both quarterbacks are near the same height (Green 6’3, Beck 6’2). Continuing with Green, Beck said today that he picks Green’s brain on the sidelines during games. If the ‘Phins do have a second coming of Green that should give the Dolphins a chance at the playoffs every year. Although it should be noted that Green only made one playoff appearance as a full time starter; he did win 10 games once and split time with Kurt Warner during the Rams 2000 playoff season.

That brings me to my next point; if the Dolphins are going to roll with Beck as their starter then they need to use the draft to improve their defense. Beck is a solid player that with a good not great defense can give you a realistic shot at the playoffs every year. If you pair an efficient quarterback, good defense and a great running back then the Dolphins may even have a Super Bowl run in them.

But if you want the Dolphins to be truly great you better hope the team spends a lot of time, money and resources on making sure that Brian Brohm, Andre Woodson or Matt Ryan isn’t the next great NFL quarterback. In the NFL it’s not defense that wins championships, its great quarterbacks win championships. With a few exceptions, when was the last time you saw a great defense make a team a dynasty? The Ravens had a nice year, so did the Bears and the Buccaneers but none of them were consistently great. The Patriots and Colts have always been top-tier teams since Peyton Manning and Tom Brady showed up. If you want to be a dynasty follow this blue print: Step 1: Get a great QB, Step 2: assemble an above average defense and the rest will take care of itself.

If Ryan, Brohm or Woodson is the next great QB in the NFL, the Dolphins better take him and sort the depth chart out later. If none of QB’s in the draft is the next franchise guy and Beck looks serviceable, then take Glen Dorsey.

Informed look at South Florida Sports

SUNRISE - As you may or may not know, I cover the Dolphins, Canes, Panthers and now the Miami Heat for ESPN Radio 760. I thought now would be as good as time as any to throw my two cents in on the Heats trade of Antoine Walker and all the other things going on in the South Florida sports scene.

Pat Riley didn't like Ricky Davis in his previous stint with the Heat…apparently he dislikes Antoine Walker and his eating disorder more. Riley had issues with Davis’s lack of basketball knowledge and inability to score within the team concept (something that Davis has not improved on). Riley had issues with Walkers refusal to show up at camp in shape and ready to play, he also has had problems with Shaq’s conditioning but he’s not getting shipped out.

Riley’s plan of having a selfish talented player over an overweight one dimensional player seems logical at least for this year. One thing that will come into question was the conditional first round draft pick that the Heat had to give up to complete this deal. With the way the Heat waste draft picks on the likes of Daquan Cook and Dorell Wright at some point they are going to need to add young players through the draft, now they have eliminated a chance in an upcoming draft.


I’m at the Panthers game right now and Olli Jokinen has set two All-Time Panthers records, goals scored and points scored. Now that he holds those records it’s a safe bet to say that Olli is the best Panther in their short history. If you’re a fan of the team you better hope they make the playoffs, if they don’t your seeing Olli’s last days with the Cats.


Like I said before I cover the Dolphins too. At camp today we learned that the Dolphins are officially cursed. Zach Thomas may miss the ‘Phins London game due to whiplash, I mean come on; I’m starting to fear for my safety just being near this team.

Good news Patrick Cobbs has stopped throwing his socks at me, (he inadvertently threw his dirty socks on me post game on Sunday) and we had a chance took talk. One thing about the ‘Phins, they like their back up running backs short Cobbs is 5’9 and Jesse Chatman is 5’8. Speaking of Chatman, he has lost his mind, after Sundays game he said they have never been beaten badly by a team this year (did he realize what just happened on the field), Chatman also cited the Colorado Rockies as reason to believe the Phins will finish strong this year. Good luck with that.

Thought You Might Want to Know:

--Zack Thomas, David Martin and Keith Traylor all missed practice today

Phins signed Casey Bramlet, Quentin Moses, Lance Schulters and released Jesse Mahelona.

Cobbs excited about his chance

With Ronnie Brown out for the rest of the season, running back Patrick Cobbs will now have a chance to prove that he belongs in the NFL. He took the time to talk with me after practice today.

JR – You started in the Sun Belt Conference, picked up by the Patriots and now you’re the number two running back heading into Sundays game. Are starting to think that you’re finally going to stick in the NFL?

Patrick Cobbs – Nah, I’m going to take this week like any other week, prepare to play running back like I did since week one. I mean obviously theirs a big chance I’m going to get in the game and play a bit, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

JR – Losing Ronnie is obviously a blow to the team, but in the time you got to watch him play, did you learn anything that will help you going forward?

Patrick Cobbs – Ronnie’s a freak, he’s a big guy, he’s fast, and he can do anything he wants to do as a running back. He can outrun you, make you miss or he can run over you. The things that Ronnie does a lot of people can’t do, so your more like wow, then he’s teaching you how to run. But as far as his work ethic and his studies in the classroom he’s really on top of that, so on that aspect I can learn from him.

JR – This offense requires a running back that is versatile do you feel like you can do everything that Ronnie did?

Patrick Cobbs – I feel like I can catch the ball, I feel like I can do everything in this offense. This offense doesn’t really have a prototype running back, so that makes it good for any running back.

JR – You are on special teams; does that mentality carry over to playing running back?

Patrick Cobbs – The mental part of special teams is that you get to go out and give it all you got for one play. You go out there, you bust it, you give it all you got and you get to come off. On offense if you make a good play your gonna be out there again so it’s a different mentality but its all football.

Andre Goodman Interview

With the Patriots coming to town, I thought it would be a good idea to have a talk with someone who will have to defend this high powered offense.

JR – What’s the Dolphins game plan going into Sunday against one of the top offenses in the NFL?

Andre Goodman – The best thing to do against an offense like this is to get to the quarterback, now that’s easier said than done but the key to slowing them down is pressure. In the secondary we have to maintain our coverage position.

JR – You covered Randy Moss when you were Detroit, what was that like?

AG – He's pretty different than any other receiver in the league. Even when you get position on him, he can go up and get the ball. You know that he’s good with his intermediate routes but you have to play to deep ball too and if you worry too much about the deep route he’ll kill you in the middle. He’s a double edged sword, but as a corner you still look forward to covering him.

JR – This defense has struggled to create turnovers for the past few years, is that a scheme problem?

AG – It is a little bit of the scheme, we are a pressure style of defense, which means we the corners are always in man to man. In man to man you’re trained to watch the receiver not the quarterback, so it’s hard to make interceptions when you don’t see ball coming. We don’t have the luxury of sitting in the backfield waiting for the ball and making interceptions. Our thing is to get up man to man, create pressure and in that scheme the quarterback has to make a mistake and we have to make him pay for it. Over the past couple of years we haven’t made them pay for it and that’s big, when we get our chance we have to make them pay.

JR – It hasn’t been just a problem with interceptions, the defense hasn’t created many fumbles either. Do you work on it with the Dolphins as much as you did with Detroit?

AG – Yeah, we work on it all the time and when I say all the time I mean all the time. We emphasize getting the ball out at the reception point, so it’s definitely a point of emphasis. But its not always easy to get done, some guys carry the ball loser than others at the same time our defense has to be optimistic and over the past few years we haven’t been and you can see the results.

JR – Earlier in the year you were out with an injury, Zach Thomas said he would rather be out there getting his butt kicked than on the sidelines out. Did you feel like that?

AG – You never want to sit and watch your team struggle and even if you’re in there and you’re just 50 percent it’s always better playing. No true competitor wants to watch the game from the sideline, regardless of the injury or injury history you want to play.

JR – Your teammate Lorenzo Booker talked about his worries that the team may not know how bad he wants to play. Is that something as a teammate you can see his desire?

AG – It’s obvious, very obvious, Lorenzo is a very good athlete and a nice resume coming out of college. Football players want to play, true football players want to play, you can read guys who just want to get by and he’s not one of them.

A few minutes with Lorenzo Booker

This season Lorenzo Booker has struggled to find any playing time for the 0 and 6 Miami Dolphins. Despite his lack of playing time, Booker has remained confident about his skills and optomistic about his future.

JR - Coach Cameron said that you might get a shot to play wide receiver, is that something you’ve done before?

Lorenzo Booker – Yeah I like playing receiver, weather I’ll be activated…I don’t know, I have no idea and I don’t really worry about that to be honest with you. Because it’s not my decision, all I can do is go out and work hard and let the chips fall where they may. I would be taking away from my focus on the field if I start working about things I can’t control.

JR – You’re right next to a guy (Ted Ginn) who was only returning kicks a few weeks ago and now he’s a starting receiver does that give you hope?

LB – That’s all I can do is work hard in practice and hope one day they say this guy can help us we’ve got to get him on the field and until they feel like that this is where I’ll be.

JR – You feel you can help the team right?

LB – Of course, if I told you I didn’t they’ve drafted the wrong guy. I hurt so bad (not playing) that I just want to run out there and smash straight into a wedge. It’s the hardest on game day when everyone is suiting up and you want to suit up and help your boys. You want to go to battle with your boys, we’re in the locker room praying…and I’m in sweats, that’s when it’s the hardest. During the week your so busy with practice you don’t even have time to think about that to be honest with you.

JR – Is it even harder sitting out and your team is 0 and 6?

LB – Oh yeah, because as a player you always feel like you could’ve done something. If they were winning it may be a little bit different but then again I doubt it. I would probably want to get out there more, as a competitor I always feel there’s something more I can do. But right now all I can do is practice and get those guys that will play ready.

JR – All those lines, Zach (Thomas) said that he would rather be out there getting beat and playing bad, than on the sidelines. Do you feel like that too?

LB – Yeah, because there’s a feeling of letting the guys down, when your boys are out there hurting and they’ve got their pads on and they look at you all clean. You don’t want them to feel like you don’t want to be out there with them and that’s what it come down to. You want them to know I’m willing to die for you, just like you are for me, when your not playing there is always a little bit of wondering what the guys are thinking. Do they understand that I would much rather be out there than right here, that’s what it come down to. First and foremost we play for each other; these are the guys out there dying with me in that heat so I don’t want them to feel that way.

JR – Any similarities between Cam and Bobby Bowden?

LB – Not really, Cam’s much more aggressive and that’s what I like, he’s a gambler. He’s a cut throat kind of play caller and that’s what I like. On this team there is no difference between offense and defense we want to go out there and hit you in the mouth and that’s what I like about it.

3 Questions with Ronnie Brown

DAVIE - After Bill Belichick called Ronnie Brown the best offensive player in the NFL I thought it was a good time to ask Ronnie a few questions.

JR - Belichick called you the best offensive player in the NFL, what does a compliment like that mean to you, coming from a coach who obviously has some talented players?

Ronnie Brown - That's a great compliment for me especially coming from a coach of his caliber as far as some of the guys he has seen and the guys he's around now. It's the seventh week of the season and I'm sure he's seen a lot of guys, just to have a compliment like that it tremendous but at the same time I still have to work. Hopefully he will feel the same way after we play him this week.

JR - Your on a roll right now, is the success your having helping you stay focused and within the offense try to top your performance each week?

RB - I thinks so, on this level your only as good as your last game. Obviously I want to build each week and try to put my team in a better situation. Hopefully I continue to grow as a football player and mature because I still feel like I have a long way to go on this level. I still feel like I haven't accomplished much on this level as far as being one of the top guys, I still feel like I have a lot to prove from that standpoint.

JR - The coaches say they see a lot in Hagan and Ginn, what do you see at practice from those guys?

RB - Derek has been around for a couple of years and he's grown a lot. As far as Ted, he's shown that he's matured a lot since week one. He's getting better in returns and special teams; obviously I think he has some ability to be affective. So I'm very confident in those guys and their young, and Ted can run and Derek's a big physical guy. So I have a lot of confidence in those guys and hopefully they will come out and play with that confidence and if they do that they'll be more than O.K.

I'm Chris Chambers?

DAVIE - Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers was traded to the land named after a whales vagina on Tuesday, otherwise known as San Diego. I couldn't imagine a better situation for Chambers, he goes to a team that has legitimate playoff chances, he has a bye week to assimilate to the offense and he has a legit quarterback to throw him the ball. Not to mention the Chargers run a similar offense to the Dolphins, fantasy owners like myself are thrilled with this move.

Mueller and Cameron have made their bed with this class of rookies, if Ted Ginn and Jon Beck don't succeed then Cam and Randy are gone next year(maybe earlier). By trading away Chambers Ginn is thrust into a position that just last week they Dolphins didn't think he was ready for.


Notes

--Trent Green is looking more and more like a coach, Wednesday he was at practice wearing shorts and a shirt and teaching the third string center how to snap the ball.

--Ted Ginn was running as the number two receiver on the first team offense, you have to wounder if Cam and Randy traded away Chambers in hope of proving Ginn is ready to play.

--Zach Thomas was not in pads today, he was walking around a practice without any obvious injury.

--Jason Allen may get some playing time now that Donovan Darius was released and Courtney Bryan was on the scout team today.

--Dolphins put Chase Page on IR and signed Derreck Robinson and Jesse Mahelona, both are defensive tackles. Mahelona played at the University of Tennessee and spent last season with the Titans. Robinson played college ball at Iowa and spent '05 and '06 with the San Diego Chargers.

Coco Puffs

SOUTH FLORIDA - I know that's not an official dateline, but its an accurate description of this blog.

I have now official covered every team in South Florida as a reporter for ESPN Radio 760 and apparently I'm so good at it that I'm now covering multiple teams in a day.

WEST PALM BEACH - Today started in West Palm at the ESPN radio studio, where I had the chance to produce two riveting fishing shows (well maybe to the listeners). It's always hard to enjoy a show talking about nothing your interested in especially after waking up at 4 40 a.m. !!!

At 9 a.m. the Saturday Sports Page got rolling and Mike tried to talk as much baseball as possible in the five minutes of on-air alone time.

CORAL GABLES - Arriving to the 'Canes a little late turned out to be a blessing because I got a five minute reprieve from the mind numbing "action" that was taking place formally know as the Orange Bowl (now its just a bowl of something).

Kyle Wright was average, he made some big throws like his touchdown pass to Sam Shields, and he made some bad plays, like sliding short of a first down and killing a critical second half drive.

The defense was pushed up and down the field in the second half, and Calais Campbell was nowhere to be found (except on the sidelines trying to pump up the sparse crowd). In fact the only 'Canes defenders that did show up were Tarvares Gooden and Bruce Johnson. And Eric Moncour did make some big plays, tipping away a forth down try from Georgia Tech and later laying a big hit on the quarterback.

The problem was the 'Canes had too many blocking penalties and were fooled too often by misdirection plays on defense. The Yellow Jackets scored two touchdowns on a naked bootleg.

One bright spot would be Shawnbrey McNeal, he had a 39 yard touchdown run and would of had a 41 yard run if it wasn't for a holding call.

After the game Shannon preached accountability for this years team and the hope that new recruiting classes will provide the talent that this group does not have.

SUNRISE - I am now at 12 hours of work and at least I have the freezing Bank Atlantic Center to keep me awake. I'll confess I'm not a huge hockey fanatic, but I enjoy seeing games in person and the Panthers are the only team in South Florida that I like.

Tonight the 'Cats got off to an early 4-1 lead and Vokoun looked good for the second straight night, improving his record with the team to 2-2 (Cats are 2-3 overall). They ended up adding a few more goals in the third and won 6-4.

The best part about the Panther games are the commercials that run on the floating scoreboard (does that have an official name?). My favorite is "Get to know your Florida Panthers", to understand why you must know who Oli Jokinen is. If you don't, he is a nice guy, but looks like a villain from a James Bond movie and he haunts my dreams every night. So this crazy Finish player does the "get to know" segment and in his best Drago impersonation he deadpans "Coco Puffs" to the question "Whats your favorite cereal." That is classic because I always love when hockey players are forced in front of cameras, they are the most akward people in the world when forced to "act".

Thats it, I'm out 15 hours is too much.

Vokoun Wins

Sunrise - Tomas Vokoun had his first shut-out of his Panthers career tonight and he looked like the guy they traded for. Vokoun made a total of 28 saves which included stopping a barrage of shots at the end of the game from the Devils to preserve the shut-out.

The Miami Dolphins started in early September and they have zero wins in five tries, the Cats started in October and already have one win in three tries. The next big question is "will the Heat, who have not started the regular season yet, have their first victory before the Dolphins?" I'm betting that they will.

I would also like to point out that the PA address guy at the Bank Atlantic Center (where the Panthers play) is an outright liar. First he always adds an extra player to the assist stat (later changed by the official scorer) and he just makes up any number over 10,000 for the attendance at home games. This is not a practice reserved for the Panthers, the Florida Marlins have perfected this art and the Miami Dolphins love to say "sellout" even though there are thousands of empty seats.

The Heats already on Walker

Miami - After Dolphins camp yesterday I made my way down to the "Triple A" arena to cover a mundane preseason opener for the Heat. At least that's what I thought, don't get me the wrong the game was very boring and I don't know or care who won. After the game is when things got interesting.

As I strolled into the media room for Pat Riley's press conference, I'm thinking this is going to be boring and probably not even worth using later. Boy was I wrong, Riley walks in and makes a few "blah,blah,blah" comments about the game, Riley then turns his attention to a reporter.

It's important to keep in mind that there are about five of us there when I tell you this. Riley starts lecturing the reporter about an article he wrote for the Sun-Sentinel about Antoine Walker's weight problem. Riley believed that the quotes, although accurate, were used in a context that was not in tune with how he said them. Riley was smug, saying that he did us a favor and decided to be candid about Walker...and this is how we repay him. And how as reporters we take things out of context and use them the way we want...and so on. After his lecture Riley walks out and we make our way to the locker room.

The locker room was a little hostile, way to much for a preseason game, as soon as we walk in J-Will yells at a reporter for shooting him in his "drawers" (FYI, when was the last time you saw anything but a head and shoulders shot of an athlete).

Walker did the stand up thing and talked to the media, resulting in a confrontation with the reporter about his weight. Walker again was polite but was upset at the constant shots this reporter had been taking about his weight. The tension got to a point where the interview was stopped, but again Walker was a professional and continued to talk.

I'm not a Walker fan, I don't think he is a good player anymore but I will give him credit for being a professional and acting with class in a tough situation.

After hearing the pre-game press conference Riley was referring to I feel that the article is somewhat inflammatory and misleading and the headline is ridiculous.

As for the game:

Shaq played and played well, he looked healthy and ready to go.

Smush Parker played alot of two guard with Wade out.

Long term solution

DAVIE - Trent Green is likely done as a player with the Miami Dolphins, he suffered the most severe concussion anyone can and at the age of 37 playing for an 0-5 team, there is not much to come back to.

As for the future of the 'Phins one thing is certain, it does not include Cleo Lemon. Cleo is a very good back up, but there isn't any scenario where he is willing to serve as a back-up to John Beck. There is no obvious animosity between the two players but Lemon wants a chance to start or at the very least a chance to back-up another veteran QB.

With that in mind, the Phins will not start Beck until after their bye week. You have to understand that since the start of the regular season Beck has been running the opposing teams offense for the scout team. To throw him into this situation as a starter would stack the odds of success against him. Beck will now have the chance to run about 20 percent of the teams plays each week and get comfortable for his eventual start on November 11th at home against the Bills.

Draft Watch:
The best player in the draft Darren McFadden plays a position that Ronnie Brown is playing at a Pro Bowl level right now. I've heard some fans say they want a two headed monster at running back, which is a great idea, but a luxury that is afforded to good teams who don't have multiple gaping holes like this team.

Glen Dorsey was held in check against a good Florida team but a top five pick should come up big in big games.

A pick that would not garner alot of excitement but would make a ton of sense in Jake Long from Michigan. If John Beck is your quarterback of the future then you need to protect his blind side and Jake Long is that man, it's a safe and solid pick in the top five. More than anything else the Dolphins need a prospect that has the odds in his favor to be a big time player.


For all your fantasy football owners out there I have one message for you, start Kellen Winslow.

Last week Ownen Daniels had 6 catches for 96 yards against the Phins and this is a copy cat league. Teams now know they can run or throw on the Dolphins, especially to the tight end. I would also play Jamal Lewis, but I think Winslow will get the most value against a team that is relying on Joey Porter or a injured Channing Crowder to cover him.

FYI
John Beck practiced with the scout team and Marty Booker took snaps as what looks like an emergency quaterback situation. Strange plan by Cameron, not having what would seem to be your number two QB (Beck) takes snaps with the offense seems like a bad idea.

Derek Hagan and Rodirque Wright were both at practice but were limited.

Waiting

Davie - If Jon Beck does have to wait for an entire season or two before he gets his chance as a starter, he only has to look a few lockers down for advice. Trent Green holds the distinction of waiting the longest time to start (five years) of any of the 32 quarterbacks currently starting in the NFL.

The Dolphins traded a 2008 draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, that much we know, but what escalates that pick from a four to a five remains a mystery. The pick becomes a four based on "performance" and "playing time", which are very vague terms. Logic tells you that if Green plays all 13 and stays on pace to throw for over 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns, then the 'Phins will give up a 4th round pick. Lets say the Dolphins will finish with one of the worst records in the NFL, so were talking about a difference of 32 picks.

The Raiders took Michael Bush, who once was a projected first round draft pick, with the first pick in the fourth round. The jury is still out on Bush, but he's a good risk that could pay huge dividends for Oakland, as risk the Dolphins can't take because no matter what they are short a pick in this years draft.

When you watch Sundays game, make sure to keep an eye on Matt Schaub, the 26 year old starter for the Houston Texans. He is the exact same age as your "quarterback of the future" and was available for the Dolphins taking. The cost? Ted Ginn Jr and his one catch and John Beck and his zero career starts. For a team like the Dolphins who have shown no ability to evaluate collegiate talent, Schaub and his 101.2 QB rating look like a good idea.

One more Texan to watch, Amobi Okoye, the 20 year old defensive tackle of the Texans that was taken one pick after Ted Ginn's family. Okoye has four sacks and 10 tackles, the entire Dolphins defense....five sacks.

Vendetta

MIAMI GARDENS - VENDETTA, sounds like a really cool X-box game (could be already I don't know), but it was actually the best word to describe Daunte Culpepper's performance on Sunday.

Culpepper's numbers weren't spectacular, but as Bruce Willis has shown us in many Die Hard movies, you don't have to be glamorous when getting revenge. Culpepper gritted out his most impressive performance in years on what looked like pure hate. Yeah he only threw for only 75 yards and ran for a pedestrian 28 yards, but he scored all five Oakland touchdowns.

You knew from the start of the game that Culpepper was ready to play, he lead his team on the field by sprinting 10 yards in front of his team with his hands in the air welcoming the boos. After one of rushing touchdowns, Culpepper danced across the end line pointing at his knee and giving the O.K. symbol to anyone who would look.

Sunday was like something out of a first rate action flick, the only way this story could have ended better would have been Culpeeper driving away in his black SUV saying arrivederci bastardo's.

No revenge for Thaddeus

MIAMI - 'Canes squeezed past the Duke Blue Devils 24-14 on Saturday and some 'Cane fans may think their team overlooked the Devils...and they would be wrong.

This Duke team has talent, and they have a quarterback who was focused on proving he belonged in the Orange Bowl. Hialeah Lakes native, Thaddeus Lewis did a admirable job for the Devils, completing over 55% of his passes for 241 yards and two touchdown passes. Those numbers are even more impressive considering he was running for his life all game, Lewis was sacked nine times and forced to throw on the run countless other times.

Miami came to play, they ran into a team with more talent than the average person knows about, so 'Cane fans don't worry about your teams performance. This was a weekend of upsets, and the 'Canes did a good job of winning their first ACC game under Randy Shannon. A little perspective on the games, Boston College beat UMass by the exact same score on Saturday.

Kyle Wright continued to mature and improve on Saturday, Wright completed threw only four incomplete passes and was able to carry the ball for 26 yards rushing. Yes he threw two picks, but one of those was the fault of Leonard Hankerson running an out route five yards too long.

Graig Cooper, was electric every time he touched the ball, he ended up with over 125 yards of total offense and one touchdown. Most of Coopers production came on the ground (101 yards) and on big players (3 plays of over 25 yards).

Defensively the team made life near impossible for Lewis, who as sacked 9 times. Calais Campbell lead the way with two and a half, Vegas Franklin was also impressive collecting two sacks of his own.

The 'Canes have another ACC game this week against former coach Butch Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Preview coming Thursday!

Hey Porter...Make Sure you Know Your Role

Davie - Today at camp we learned that "several" defensive starters will be seeing time on special teams. That is not a big surprise considering their play has been "special"(they have been "special" like "Corky" was special).

The surprising thing was Joey Porter saying the special teamers needed to "know their role and do their job", and that's coming from a man who has nine tackles in three games.

You know what Joey why don't you know your role and do your job, in case you didn't know your role is supposed to be a Pro Bowler and your job is to make plays. When you get paid 20 million guaranteed that's what you need to do.

I have know idea why the Dolphins wasted their money on a washed up former Pittsburgh Steeler's linebacker. Lets look at the other linebackers who the Steelers have let go at exactly the right time. Greg Llyod, after playing only 11 games combined in his last two years with the Steelers Llyod went to the Carolina Panthers. With the Panthers he played one year had 63 tackles and one sack, then retired. Think the Dolphins could get that lucky and have Porter retire, oh and guess who was the Head Coach in Carolina when Lloyd was signed none other than Dom Capers.

Another former Steeler,Kevin Greene, was signed by Capers in 1996 and Greene actually played well making the Pro Bowl. Greene then left the team for one year, then returned for another Pro Bowl season under Capers. But Greene, unlike Porter, was a Pro Bowl player before he came to Pittsburgh and Greene only spent two years in this system. I would chalk Greene success up as a talented player succeeding everywhere he went, unlike Porter.

Chad Brown left the Steelers after registering 13 sacks in 1996, since that time Brown has never had another double digit sack total, in fact he only reached eight sacks one time and has only four 100-plus tackle seasons in the last 10 years. Brown left the Steelers in his prime, whereas Porter is well past his.

Porter has only known Pittsburgh's system, which by the way is set up for the Outside Linebacker to accumulate alot of sacks. With that in mind, you might be surprised to learn that Porter had only two double-digit sack years in his time with the Steelers.

Capers thinks he knows how to help former Steeler linebackers succeed. Maybe it's because Capers on the Steelers staff for two years, but one minor success story(Greene) doesn't prove anything. Isn't more likely that a player that who played at a Pro Bowl level,out of the system for most of his career, is just a great player and it had nothing to do with Capers.

Wouldn't the Dolphins have been better off signing someone like Cato June, who has as many tackles (9) as Porter and one more interception, and was alot cheaper.

Noteworthy:

--Zach Thomas practiced in pads, but he is not hitting and won't until Sunday, he also has a new helmet, most likely to help prevent further concussions.

--Channing Crowder will play on special teams.

--Jon Beck was wearing a # 8 Raiders scout team jersey.

Cubs Day 1:

Cubs Day 1:

As I walked up to the stadium, the thought "I immediately regret this decision" came to mind. Why am I covering the Cubs, when I can be in the stands getting drunk and hitting on some Midwestern hotties?

I reason with myself, “How many times will I get the chance to cover the Chicago Cubs?”

Top of the third, FYI, I’m too angry to blog right now, the crappy Marlins have somehow gone up on my Cubbies 4-0 and I going to strangle a Marlins fan……if I could find one.

Bottom of the fifth, I am still too pissed off to write, the crappy Marlins are beating the Cubs 4-0 and Michael Wuertz is warming up the bullpen, this could get ugly. The Cubs have only one hit off a pitcher with an earned run average over five.

One thing I do like, there are a lot more Cub fans in the stands than Marlins fans, but I am annoyed that some old Cub fan is with some hot younger Cub girl, this upsets me very much. If I was at this game as a fan, I would have definitely tried to hit on her….and fought with her dad/boyfriend.

Top of the eighth, Craig Monroe goes deep to left, bringing the Cubs within two, heading into the bottom of the inning….here’s hoping the Marlins do what they usually do and lose.

And that didn’t happen, so now I’m off to an angry Lou Piniella.

Good news, I wasn’t killed by Piniella, actually he was pretty entertaining.

Summery of locker room:

Lee- We don’t need to win games, we need to win series. When asked if it was Willis or the umpires who were tougher, Lee said “no comment.”

Lilly- I can’t allow myself to give up big innings.

Ramirez- I don’t want to talk about the umpires.

Piniella- I couldn’t tell if the were balls or strikes, I can only see up or down not left to right, but a lot of the players came back to the dugout complaining.

The Day After Tommorw

I took an extra day in posting my evaluation of the Dolphins 31-28 loss to the Jets. Because I couldn't figure out if the Phins offense was that good or was the Jets defense that bad.

Offense: "B"- If you take Ronnie Brown out of the equation then the grade is closer to a "C". Trent Green was average, 318 yards and one touchdown, his one pick was another awful decision by a veteran quarterback who was brought in not to make those mistakes.

Chris Chambers continued his early season success, catching six passes for 101 yards, but he is still without a touchdown.

But, back to Brown's performance, his best...since the last time the Dolphins played the Jets. So as long as Brown plays every game against the Jets he'll be worth the number two pick in the draft.

Defense: "I"- I normally won't give an incomplete but in the Dolphins case, it seems appropriate. Without Zach Thomas on the field the defense seemed confused and were often out of position. Now, I think Thomas as a player is overrated, most of tackles are are of the gang variety, but his leadership for this team is priceless.

Special Teams: "Awful"- Can't give the turd that they left on the field an actual grade. The 'Phins allowed a 98 touchdown return from a back up kick returner. Then the coaching staff neutered the Special Teams from the rest of the first half.

Overall: "C" The teams overall performance was average, Brown's great day was offset by poor defense and special teams play.

Graig Cooper

After the game, I was able to ask Graig Cooper a few questions, here is a transcription of the Q & A:

JR-How important was it to get the running game going tonight?

Cooper- It was real big, one thing we've been hurtin our defense with three and outs. We've just been working hard, offensive line, the receivers, everybody been working hard to help this defense out. It's been kinda hurtin us a little bit (poor running), so we just did what we had to do today...that's it.

JR-The offense had some interesting goaline formations today, how did that help?

Cooper- We've been waiting to pull that out, we've been running that since the spring. So we just opened it up tonight, that's what we did.

JR- You had an up and down game tonight, describe your emotions during the game?

Cooper- I make mistakes, but one thing I do about my mistakes I don't let them get in my head, I just bounce back. That's how I was taught, if you make a mistake bounce back, don't let it get you down. I made a couple of mistakes tonight, so I gonna have to work on that in practice.

JR- Your not all negative, you did have some positives, can you tell us about those?

Cooper- I had some positives, but that all came from my teammates, I couldn't do it by myself, if you want to know how they helped me go ask someone who blocked for me. On that first touchdown, Lance Leggett did his job and stayed on his block. On that screen play the offensive line got down field and blocked for me, so if you want to talk about my scores you should ask my offensive line and receivers.

Who Knew

So I picked the wrong team, I forgot that Dennis Franchione is known for not being able to handle the pressure of being a top ranked team. But more importantly I forgot how good the 'Canes can be, but can you blame me. The 'Canes have looked between average and awful for most of the past two years. When Coach Randy Shannon was asked about how his team has looked, he said "We've only played four games this year, and last year was last year."

I forgot that Kyle Wright was a top recruit coming out of high school, a guy who can go throw for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Who knew that Sam Shields would catch everything that was thrown to him for a grand total of 6 catches for 117 yards.

Javaris James had a very poor yards per carry, but he was the back who wore out the clock and Aggie defenders and James scored a late touchdown to put down the Aggies.

Graig Cooper is amazing, although he did fumble twice, he had two touchdowns on Thursday and they both used different skills. The first Cooper took a direct snap and used his speed to get around Aggie defenders for a 7 yard touchdown run. On his other score Cooper took a short pass 12 yards to the house, bowling over defenders on his way. Cooper is the present and future of UM football.

Miami still needs to focus on closing out games, there is no reason why this defense should allow 17 fourth quarter points. Don't think that Coach Shannon won't remind his players all week about the importance of closing out games.

I need another mouthpiece

Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas is getting tested for concussion like symptoms. If you recall he missed Wednesdays practice with a "migraine" headache, we now know that the migraine was a symptom of his concussion. Apperently the team knew of the injury since the end of Sundays game.

Joey Porter said that Zach got his concussion on the first play of the game and was asking for a new mouthpiece, an apparent sign of a concussion, all game long. My question is if Porter knew that asking for a new mouthpiece was a sign of a concussion why didn't the coaches?

Thomas's status for Sundays game will be determined tomorrow, not by Zach or Cam, but by the teams Dr.'s.

McGee does it all

Texas A & M has put up 38, 47 and 54 points this season, granted it was against the likes of Montana State, Fresno State and UL Monroe. With that being said what have the Hurricanes done against Marshall or FIU and don't forget the 51 that Oklahoma (a top five team) put on the "U".

Put this in perspective A & M's starting QB, Stephen McGee has almost run for as many yards that Wright has thrown for and has rushed for as many touchdowns. McGee is a talent at quarterback who has 428 passing yards and 263 rushing yard putting him as the team leader in both of categories.

A & M does have holes their defense, they gave up 45 points to a WAC team (Fresno St.), which is not only an apt description it's also their conference.

I will leave you with the name Javorski Lane, all 263 pounds of him, has seven rushing touchdowns in 3 games. It will make for some interesting goal line situations.

Phins put the "F" in effort

"You guys are going to try and tear us apart" that was Channing Crowder's comment after the game, when questioned about the offense.

No, Channing we are not trying to tear you apart because there is nothing to tear apart, your defense gave up 37 points, the special teams allowed a 49 yard punt return and the offense turned the ball over five times. You see Channing everyone played bad and nobody should be feeling good about themselves.

Offense: Five turnovers, all by Trent Green, ruined any chance the Dolphins had. A terrible running game, 61 total yards on 21 carries for a 2.9 yards per carry average, forced Green to throw 40 passes.

The passing game was just as atrocious, Green's completed only 57 percent of his passes, threw four interception (could of had two more) and fumbled a snap. The only respectable stats, 287 yards passing and two touchdowns, are easily dismissed when you factor in a prevent defense and a lucky touchdown pass to Derek Hagan. I don't want to dismiss Hagan's effort to corral that prayer,which was great, it's the pass that was awful.

Defence: The Dolphins defense are who I thought they were, a toxic mix of old and inexperience with a dash of not very good. Their star players Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor still play at a high level, but they cannot carry a team like they used to. Joey Porter is making the Steelers look like geniuses, Jason Allen proves his bust label every week and their corners Will Allen and Travis Daniels are either too old (Allen) or too young (Daniels).Crowder is the only sure fire future Pro Bowler on this team, Thomas and Taylor may have some left, but two years from now Crowder is the only guy.

Special Teams: A 49 yard return by Patrick Crayton could have been negated if the Dolphins could have remembered a snap count. Ted Ginn can't figure out when to call for a fair catch and when to take the ball out of the end zone.

Overall: Anything positive was destroyed by a second half collapse. Dolphins get an "F"

Soulja Boys

I would say Kudos to the players in the UM vs FIU game, but you really shouldn't congratulate someone for not fighting. The game went off relatively incident free, there were a few late hits but that's to be expected in any rivalry game.

The offence is anemic, a steady diet of Javaris James and Graig Cooper mixed in with the occasional throw by Kyle Wright. James racked up 92 yards and Cooper gained 48 on the ground. The passing game was highlighted by a 80 bomb to Lance Leggett, who ran a fly pattern right past the FIU defender. The play was the longest since 2005, when Sinorice Moss took a 3 yard curl and turned it into a 92 yard touchdown.

Wright looked average, and I heard plenty of "same ol' Wright" when he threw each of his picks. Wright is an enigma, one minute he looks like a pro prospect, the next he's Chris Rix. One of Wright's pick was a case of overconfidence, the other was making the wrong type of pass, Wright tried to go thru defender instead of over.

Randy Shannon said this is going to be a "play action offence" and that's what we saw on Saturday. Unless this team, makes a giant jump on offence and a brings their "A" game defense, the 'Canes are going to struggle against A & M.

The 'Canes offense struggles to match the production of F.A.U., the Owls put up 42 on a Big 10 school and the 'Canes can't drop 30 on a Sun-Belt school. The 'Canes O-Line lacked discipline on Saturday, Chris Rutledge couldn't figure out a snap count and their Tight Ends are non-existent in the passing game. Leggett and Darnell Jenkins had big games, but they have a penchant for dropping balls in big games and James needs to find a way how to break off some big runs.

One disappointment, though not really a surprise was the display by the Hurricanes fans, again they showed that they can't act with class. I always suspected that alot of 'Cane fans embrace the "Thug U" image of the team, and Saturday didn't do anything to sway my opinion. 'Cane fans were fighting with FIU fans and getting beat by security when they attempted to jump onto the field.

I will say that they (fans) probably provided the most entertaining moment of the day, during commercial breaks the would sing along with Soulja Boys' "Crank that Superman." To top it off we saw Sebastian doing the dance that goes along with the song.

Prediction for Saturday Texas A & M 24- UM 14, I want to pick UM, because if they wanted to upset a team it would be A & M, but it's not going to happen. How the mighty have fallen that UM over A & M would be an upset.

Chatman watch is over

Finally, we can all sleep well, Jesse Chatman will play on Sunday against the Cowboys. Shows how much happened today at practice if Chatman is the biggest story of the day.

Coach Cam Cameron is ready to play and tired of answering questions about Belichick, stating that "you guys are starting to reach for questions today."

Chatman, apparently prayed to God to be healthy for Sundays game, when asked if he prayed for a 100 yard performance, he laughed and said why not 2,000 yards.

Jay Feely seemed pretty upset that Belichick didn't get a harsher punishment, stating that the team took the brunt of the punishment. He wonder how Wade Wilson gets 5 games for tyring to cure impotence and Belichick gets nothing for cheating.

Sunday's Prediction: Cowboys 30- Dolphins 14

You Can't Handle the truth

Slow day at camp, only real news of note is that Jesse Chatman missed another practice. Coach Cam Cameron left open the possibility of Chatman playing. Cameron said that he has no set date for a player to practice by to be eligible to play.

Third Round Pick Lorenzo Booker may get some time as a special team gunner, awesome spot for a third round pick.

Questions lingered about stealing signs, but ended quickly after the same answers from yesterday were the only one's muttered.

The best thing today was Trent Green comparing a meeting between Roger Goodell and Bill Belichick to the climatic courtroom scene in "A Few Good Men." Green had Goodell in Tom Cruise's role and Belichick as Jack Nicholson screaming "you need me to cheat, you want me to cheat."

Goodell: "I want the truth!"

Belichick: "You can't handle the truth!"

Funny funny stuff out of Dolphins practice.