Evaluation of Offense: WRs

Up next is our stellar (insert sarcasm) WR corps.

Marty Booker

Marty hasn't really been effective this season. Last year there were a lot of people calling for his head, but he actually performed at a relatively high level. This year, not so much. Despite leading the team in receptions, Booker vastly underperformed in relation to his salary.

His drops went up and his touchdowns went way down. Booker simply has become a frustrating player to watch, though in fairness he hasn't had a QB throwing to him since he got here.

Verdict: He's gone. No doubt about it with a cap hit upwards of 4 million next year.

Ted Ginn Jr.

A major disappointment for the coaching staff considering the fact he was supposed to be this amazing deep threat. Ginn is still raw as a receiver, though I have to say he's shown some improvements over time. He is pretty useful on the sidelines, but they need to find a way to use him on drag routes and for the love of God throw him the ball deep. That's why you drafted him.

Verdict: Ginn has potential, but isn't the amazing talent we were told we drafted, at least not yet. He might never become a #1 receiver, but it's way too early to pass judgment yet. If a guy like Malcolm Kelly or DeSean Jackson slips into the 2nd round, then I would draft them. But unless you get a serious prospect, I wouldn't put WR as a priority considering free agency is a possibility for an upgrade.

Derek Hagan

Hagan seems to do best in mop up duty. For some reason his 96% catch rate at Arizona State hasn't translated into the NFL. It's baffling because Hagan can get open. He's always open. His top end speed isn't to die for, but the guy should be catching more balls. Maybe he will improve with more playing time coming his way now that Chambers is gone and Booker is looking to join him.

Verdict: His top potential seems to be that of a #2 receiver but he hasn't done much to prove he is any better than a number 3 or 4. Keep him around though.

Greg Camarillo

Who? That pretty much sums up Greg's role on this team. Aside from his late season heroics, Camarillo is training camp fodder. He is only on the team because of our glaring lack of depth at this position and because Chris Chambers was shipped off to San Diego.

Verdict: I guess he could stay around as a 5th receiver if the team decides to keep 5 on the roster. However, the team is lacking talent at this position and look for them to upgrade in free agency and potentially in the draft as well.

Evaluation of Offense: RBs

Next comes the running backs, probably the strength of the team.

Ronnie Brown

It's a shame that Ronnie had to go down with a knee injury. He was leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage before he got hurt and was finally showing the skills we thought we were getting when he was drafted 2nd overall a few years ago. After a slow first two games, Ronnie ran at about a 6 yards per carry average until his injury.

Supposedly he will be back in time for training camp, so hopefully we won't have to consider any long term answers at this position. Players are bouncing back from ACL injuries much more successfully nowadays.

Verdict: Monitor his progress very carefully. If things are looking good, then don't bother drafting a running back in this class. There are too many holes to worry about getting another back, especially when we are relatively deep at the position anyway.

Ricky Williams

This evaluation is probably moot. After a below average performance in his only appearance before injuring his pectoral muscle, Ricky probably has no value at this point. It's easy to find a replacement back off the streets. Undrafted free agents do well if you have a line to run behind.

Ricky is probably past the point where he can be an effective running back. We saw some of this in the CFL and now we don't have to attribute it to a different kind of football. The injury bug has bitten him often of late as well.

Verdict: Considering Parcells doesn't want "bad character" guys, expect Ricky to be on his way out and probably out of the league. I wouldn't mind bringing him back but it's unlikely.

Jesse Chatman

Jesse had a very nice season in the absence of Ronnie Brown. He ran hard and broke several long runs for touchdowns. Chatman was one of the few nice stories on the Dolphins this year, after having eaten himself out of the NFL. Unfortunately, he might have played his way out of Miami.

Verdict: As a backup or even a short term starter as Ronnie recovers, Jesse is just fine. However his performance this season might have put him out of our price range. Another team might be willing to throw a considerable amount of money at him. We do have a lot of cap space, but backup RB is not a priority.

Lorenzo Booker

For some reason, Lorenzo was invisible to the coaching staff the first two-thirds of this season. When he finally got a chance to get in the game, Lorenzo was basically our best receiver. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing. He isn't the best runner in between the tackles, but we all knew that when he was drafted. His pass catching ability is noteworthy though, and he has shown us some of those flashy juke moves our players raved about in practice.

Verdict: Booker is a decent player and if you can exploit his talents correctly, can be an effective weapon in the NFL. I would like to see him split out wide now and then and maybe run a split formation with Ronnie and Lorenzo in the backfield at the same time. Creating mismatches is the best way to use Lorenzo, because he is more of a specialist than an every-down back.

Patrick Cobbs

Patrick looked good in preseason and is a serviceable backup. However, once everyone is healthy again, there is no need to keep that many backs on the roster. He is expendable.

Verdict: Barring some sort of injury or losing Jesse Chatman to free agency, Cobbs is probably gone.

Samkon Gado

In the few times he played, he actually did decently. Gado scored a pair of TDs for us this season. He runs hard, but really isn't anything special. There's a reason why he was available even after doing so well 2 years ago in Green Bay.

Verdict: If it's necessary to keep him as a 3rd or 4th back, fine. But an undrafted free agent out of college would be cheaper.

Evaluation of Offense: QBs

Now that the season is over, I'm going to take a look at the entire Dolphins roster and play Bill Parcells for a day. I'll start with the quarterbacks.

Cleo Lemon

Sorry but I wouldn't cry if he had to go. Cleo hasn't proven that he is worthy of a starting job on this team. For all the positive comments you hear from the color commentary, Lemon only won one game his entire career here, and thats only thanks to Brian Billick's lack of testicular fortitude. As I mentioned in a previous post, his numbers were nearly identical to those of Vinny Testaverde's with the Panthers.

Verdict: If he wants to come cheap, then fine by me. Stay on as a backup or emergency QB. He's got some skills but he is never going to be consistent enough to take any team to the playoffs.

John Beck

Thankfully we got a chance to look at Beck against Cincinnati. Granted it was the Bengals, and granted it was a meaningless game, but Beck had a decent outing aside from his first snap. Watching him play, you can see he is a work in progress but has the tools to improve.

His arm strength is enough I think to run this offense, and the guy is fearless in the pocket with a few exceptions. He has a nice knack for getting away from pressure and trying a dump off, but he needs to improve on his short range accuracy.

It would be nice to be able to see some deep balls, but that's more playcalling than anything. Beck wasn't spectacular, and probably wasn't the best rookie QB this season. However, he did do enough to warrant a shot at the starting job next season. The primary goal of this offseason should be to find him a reliable weapon to throw to. Either Dallas Clark or Bernard Berrian would do

Verdict: Keep him obviously, and draft a QB in the mid rounds to compete with him and Lemon for the starting job. If Beck can't show serious improvement by the end of next season though, I would consider taking another QB in the first two rounds in the 2009 draft. This team cannot wait years and years for players to develop.

Trent Green

Trent looked like he was done in the few games we got a chance to watch him play. It's absolutely undeniable that he needs to retire. Even if he can come back and contribute as a backup, his cap hit is way too high and needs to be restructured. I think retiring is in his best interest, as another blow to the head would be a serious risk to his long term health.

Verdict: Either restructure or retire. Trent is a good guy and a smart player, so keeping him on as a quarterback's coach wouldn't be a bad idea. As long as he's not calling plays then keeping him with a clipboard seems to be the best option for everyone.

Dolphins Lose Finale

The 2007 season has mercifully come to an end to the Miami Dolphins, who lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 38-25 this afternoon. Not that this loss means much of anything. It drops us to 1-15, but luckily the Dolphins avoided the ignominy of a winless season.

As expected, they couldn't do much to stop a struggling Carson Palmer and his group of wide receivers. Aside from a bad call in the first half that gave Chad Johnson a touchdown, the Dolphins were simply outplayed in this one. Oh well.

Cleo Lemon left the game with a hip injury, giving the fans a surprise chance to see John Beck in action. True to form, he fumbled his first snap and it was taken back for a touchdown. After that, Beck had a very nice outing, completing 13 of 21 passes for nearly 150 yards and a TD. That's good news considering the Big Tuna was up in the skybox keeping a close eye on his new team.

I think Beck has proven enough to warrant using the #1 overall pick on a position other than quarterback. What he hasn't proven is that he is good enough to avoid picking a quarterback altogether. Parcells better make sure he selects one in the 3rd-5th round to make sure Beck has some competition next season. Heck, in a season where Matt Moore and Todd Collins are effective, why not?

Speaking of Parcells, I think he's got a lot of work ahead of him. Undoubtedly he was up there evaluating whats left of this injury plagued roster and seeing what needs to stay and what needs to go. This a was a 53 man audition for a job next year. Ted Ginn showed some promise. Hagan too. So there is a glimmer of hope, even if it's incredibly faint.

In the next week or so I plan on writing a few entries on my personal evaluations of our roster, man by man, and who I think needs to be let go and who needs to come back next season. I'll also provide more thoughts about the draft and maybe at some point do my best Mel Kiper impression and do a mock 1st round and mock 7 round Dolphins draft.

Hester Breaks Own Record

The magnificent Devin Hester has done it again. With a punt return TD vs the Saints, Hester broke last season's record of return touchdowns with 6 this season. Is there any question that Hester is the best returner in NFL history?

I won't even get into how people shouldn't punt to him. That's a tired argument that is obvious by now. Instead I'd like to talk about Hester in comparison to our own version in Ted Ginn Jr. When we drafted Ginn last April, a lot of Dolphins fans compared him to Hester and went out on a limb and said Ginn was better.

I spent a lot of time on forums, particularly Finheaven, and there were countless arguments as to how Ginn was clearly better than Hester, despite having never played an NFL snap. Ginn supposedly did better in college against "superior" competition. His receiving skills were legendary. His straight line speed was better than Hester. There was even discussion into how Ginn's long strides were preferable to Hester's road-runner like running style.

The result? Hester is head and shoulders better than Ginn. Heck he might even be a better receiver at this point. Ginn hasn't done anything at all in the deep passing game this season and looks tentative 9 times out of 10 when returning kicks. That's not to say he's a bust or won't do anything, but it goes to prove my point that many of our fans are delusional homers who come up with ridiculous ways of defending decisions they agree with.

Vinny Finally Retires

It's hard to imagine that Vinny Testaverde was still in the NFL. I was born the year the Miami Hurricanes went to the Fiesta Bowl and blew a chance to make history by losing to Penn State 14-10. 21 years later, our Heisman winning quarterback has finally decided to hang up the cleats after the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few moments ago.

Vinny finishes 6th in career attempts, completions and passing yards. His final stats include 46233 yards passing on 56.5% completions, with 275 TDs and 267 INTs. Those stats reflect a long career of mediocrity that featured some seasons of absolutely horrible play and some of Pro Bowl caliber performances.

The question up for debate is whether or not Vinny is deserving of getting into the Hall of Fame. As a former Cane, I would say of course. But that's just me. He has never really been at the top 5 or even top 10 of his position at any given year, which hurts his chances. He also hasn't won any championships or done anything remotely memorable other than accomplish some nice records towards the end of his career. I'd say it's unlikely he gets to Canton, but who knows.

On a final note, I'd like to say how funny it is that in his handful of starts as a 44 year old with no knowledge of his offense, Vinny posted a 66 QB rating and almost identical stats to that of starter Cleo Lemon of the Dolphins. That right there proves just how bad the QB play for our team has been this year.

Random Hurricanes Tidbits

Aside from the Patrick Johnson decommitment and impending decision to go to LSU, FSU or UF, there have been a few other recent developments.

In what has to be a preemption of Patrick leaving, Randy Shannon has been targeting several defensive backs to fill the void. Some are undecided, such as Brandon Harris and TJ Bryant. But we are also looking at 3 star corner David Rowe and are making a play at UCLA commit Aaron Hester.

Hester is especially intriguing because he committed to Dewayne Walker, who is a potential candidate to be the next defensive coordinator at Miami. Swiping him away from the Bruins is unlikely, but would be a great addition in the wake of losing PJ.

Miami is also hosting visits for several safeties, including Vaughn Telemaque and Herman Davidson of California, as well as athlete Jerico Nelson in Louisiana. The most interesting safety visit might be Daniel Andrews out of Trinity Christian. I don't know much about him personally, but there have been rumors that he comes as a package deal with teammate and 5 star RB Jamie Harper. That alone is worth taking a look at.

Otherwise, we are still targeting a few Miami Northwestern guys. I had heard about potentially recruiting LB Quavon Taylor, but I think that's unlikely. OL/DL Ben Jones has probably been heading here all along, but will wait to decide. He's a big commit now that Matt Patchan's destination is uncertain. Finally, there is Tommy Streeter who still seems to be leaning towards making his mark elsewhere in college.

In addition to recruiting, there is a little bit of news on the actual football team. It's unsure just who will be our defensive coordinator at this point, and I haven't heard any substantial rumors to report to you. Same goes with the AD position to be available later next year.

Regarding the Kirby Freeman departure, apparently Kirby hasn't taken the most graceful exit possible. In an interview he complained about getting a raw deal and not getting the respect he deserved by being benched behind two freshman QBs next season in Robert Marve and Jacory Harris. Kirby, I repeat my thanks from another post for the effort you gave out here, but the treatment you received reflects your play on the field. We had no obligation to play you simply because you tried. Enjoy Baylor and best of luck to you.

Wizards Dismantle Heat

Can't say I didn't expect this one. A night after blowing a near legendary performance by Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat had to travel to Washington to face an Arenas-less Wizards team. Nonetheless, this game was over by halftime as the Heat lost 96-74.

Things got so bad that an exhausted Wade, who finished with more turnovers than field goals made, basically sat out the second half. Dorell Wright exited early with an injured ankle, though preliminary reports don't have it being a serious injury.

There isn't much else to say about last night's game, I didn't watch it in favor of the Patriots game. Ricky Davis had a nice scoring night, but contributed to the barrage of turnovers that pretty much doomed this effort from the start. If you want to know just how bad the situation has become, Luke Jackson got 29 minutes of playing time. At least former Heat player Caron Butler is having a great season.

I think it's safe to say this season is done. There's no way the Heat can suddenly turn things around barring a trade and with the way our guys are performing out there, I don't see why anyone would want any of our potential trade chips. From now on I'm hoping for entertaining ball games. I'd like to see some small ball with the young guns out there. A lineup featuring Wade, Cook and Wright on the floor at the same time is fun to watch and at this point that's all we have to look forward to.

Enjoy Wade's play for the rest of the season, and appreciate the effort he puts forth. That's because we are witnessing a great player in his prime wasting his energy on a lost cause. Nonetheless, when he is on his game, it's a thing of beauty and we are all blessed to have the chance to see it.

Parcells to Fire Mueller, Cameron Next?

We all knew this was coming, but Chris Mortensen reported that tomorrow, Randy Mueller will get the ax. I've previously said that I like the decisiveness of this move. I don't want a lame duck GM in the April draft. I don't care if the guy is "auditioning" for another front office position. I don't want some guy who will be gone in the morning determining the future of this football team.

Honestly, I don't know who is worth bringing it to take the role of GM anymore. We hear stuff about the former Green Bay GM or the Dallas GM, but thats all speculation for now. My pipe dream of course would be Scott Pioli, but we would probably have to forfeit both our games versus the Patriots next year in exchange to pry him away.

Aside from Mueller, Parcells is expected to clean house, including Cam Cameron and the coaching staff. Personally I have no preference as to whether or not Cam deserves to stay. Good coaches have had bad years, but he hasn't proven a thing to me. If he's gone, so be it. Just make sure you don't screw up again. This team hasn't had a competent coach in ages and it's about time we bring in a guy who can take this team to a Super Bowl. It'll be a long road, that's for sure.

Patriots go Undefeated

Last night's game was another heartbreaker for any Dolphins fan. I really despise the Patriots. If they aren't so good that they roll over teams by 40, they are winning by 28 in the 4th and try to run it up. If they aren't doing that, they are winning games at the last second (4 by my count now) that they should have lost.

That shows the mark of a great team and congrats to those guys. But it makes for a frustrating experience for anyone trying to root against them. The Giants gave it their all, and Eli Manning had a good performance before his true self came out to play in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, New England is simply too good to be stopped on defense.

To beat New England, you have to outscore them I think. Brady is simply unflappable. Moss is a once-in-a-lifetime talent at WR. No matter what you do, they find a way to beat you on offense. The only way to top that is to score more than they do.

To do this, you have to run the ball against that front 7, which is possible. Eat up the clock and make sure you score touchdowns instead of field goals in the redzone. On defense, you need a front 4 that can create pressure by themselves because you have to double both Moss and Welker. Welker is too slippery to play off of him.

Luckily for Dolphins fans, the AFC provides several teams that are capable of beating the Patriots, and the NFC has two. It'll be a gauntlet for any team to win this year's Super Bowl. While I admire New England for the success of their team, I truly hope somebody beats the living crap out of them sometime soon. I can't stand to see their smug satisfaction and Boston fans don't deserve any more success than they already have enjoyed these past 6 years.

Patrick Johnson Won't be a Cane

Apparently the drama is finally over. At least for now. Patrick Johnson, heralded recruit out of Pompano Ely has decided to finally pull the plug on what has been a shaky commitment to the U. A 5 star corner, he is generally considered to be one of the best players in the country and a potential 3 and done candidate.

However, from Day 1 Patrick has decided to be loose with his commitment, fooling around with recruiting sites and feeding anyone and everyone lies to amuse himself. His latest interview on rivals.com says he has fully decommitted from Miami because they ceased to recruit him after his commitment. Other rumors have it being he isn't able to qualify academically.

If this is the case, then so be it. The writing was on the wall for weeks, even months. Randy Shannon stopped recruiting him because Patrick was supposed to be committed. Patrick was supposedly recruiting other kids to come and join the Canes' stellar class. But once PJ decided to start going on trips to UNC and UF, and once rumors of payoffs and bribes came around, Randy stopped calling.

Randy isn't going to take crap from anyone, even a prized recruit. PJ is a great player, and it's still feasible he comes to Miami. He fully enjoys the recruiting process and loves screwing around with recruiting websites. This could all be a ploy of some sorts to make news for himself. He and his dad are really enjoying the spotlight.

Frankly, I don't really care anymore. Even if he comes here, which I still hope he does considering his talent level, I don't approve of the way things have been handled by the Johnson family. He is only 17 or 18 but he needs to make a decision like a man. Enough of the games. Just choose your college destination and stop with the trickery.

If he ends up at UNC, we will all know it was a payoff. Possibly the same with UF. Urban Meyer has made it a point to target several Canes commits/recruits, either out of spite or jealousy or more likely out of common interest in a player. However there have been a few shady rumors regarding PJ and his courtship by UF. LSU is still a possibility, though I wouldn't rule out USC.

The entire thing seems sketchy to me. Who knows what will result from all of this. I'm just disappointed that we have to sit through this stuff another week. Hopefully in the end he will be a Cane, but with the class that is coming in, his absence wouldn't be a catastrophic loss.

Canes Lose First Game 76-70

Our last ray of hope in Miami sports took a tumble today. It's a shame that Miami couldn't get to ACC play undefeated. Now there will be a consensus in the media about how overrated the Canes were, and how they feasted on an easy schedule and the rest of that nonsense.

Today the Canes simply got beat by a hot Winthrop team. Winthrop seemingly made every shot in the 2nd half, all from the 3 point line. In contrast, the Canes committed 7 or 8 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. They did have a nice comeback attempt in the final minute or two, but fell short.

The problem tonight was the lack of balance offensively. I've consistently mentioned how they always have a handful of guys scoring around the same amount of points. However, Jack McClinton led our scorers with 30 and Anthony King added 16. Aside from them the rest of the team only contributed 27 points.

It was a frustrating night because Miami made a good run towards the end of the first half and spilled it over into the 2nd half before falling asleep on offense and defense. Up next is Penn, another NCAA tournament team from last year. Don't count out a potential loss there too. These last two nonconference games were trap games with the team facing ACC play in a few weeks. Both were winnable games though.

Tonight's the Night

The last team standing between the Patriots and history is the New York Giants. Tonight the two face off in Giants Stadium in what amounts to a meaningless game for both teams in the short run. The debate is: should either team play their starters?

The Giants have nothing to play for, having locked up the 5th seed and having several banged up starters that could use a week of rest. The Patriots have home field throughout the playoffs and also have no use for a victory tonight. What they do have is an opportunity for history on both the individual and collective level.

Randy Moss is only 1 touchdown away from tying Jerry Rice's single season record for TD receptions. Against a guy like Sam Madison, I wouldn't doubt his ability to break that in the first half. Tom Brady is 1 away from tying Peyton Manning's single season record for touchdown passes with 49. Likewise, he could easily take care of that in the first half, maybe even the first quarter.

More importantly, the Patriots could become the first team since the 72 Dolphins to post a perfect regular season record, and the only one to do so under a 16 game regular season schedule. Therefore, it looks like the Patriots have some serious motivation to play out this game at full force, or at least the first half. The Giants really don't have much of a chance here. Eli Manning scares nobody. He would need a career night to beat New England today.

That being said, if I were either team I would play my starters as long as possible. Hello? You play. To win. The game. The Giants have a chance to do something special in beating the Patriots, as it is unlikely that they would run the table with Eli Manning at quarterback. The Patriots likewise have something special to accomplish and should at least play the starters long enough to assure victory.

Stan's Return to the AAA

Missing from my recap of last night's game versus Orlando was the notable story of Stan Van Gundy returning to Miami for the first time since he was fir----since he resigned from his job as head coach of the Miami Heat. With him came a 1st place Orlando team that as usual dominated their in-state rivals.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the opening of the matchup and thus I don't know whether or not Stan got a standing ovation for his 2+ seasons as our head coach. Looking back, I'm not even sure he deserves it. Sure the guy took us to the playoffs twice, winning 3 playoff series and securing a #1 seed in 2004. However, there were pros and cons during Van Gundy's tenure.

Though Stan's teams were moderately successful, it became clear that he simply did not demand the respect of the team in the clutch. There is no way we lose Game 7 to the Pistons at home in 2004 (the fact our entire starting 5 was injured is irrelevant) with Pat Riley. Likewise, there is no way this team comes back from being down 0-2 with a 13 point 4th quarter deficit in the 2006 Finals with Stan Van Gundy.

Stan was more of a caretaker than a great coach in many regards. Riley wouldn't have made the mistake of handing the ball to an injured Damon Jones in the waning moments of Game 7, and would have made sure to feed a then effective Shaq the ball. I believe that team would have had a 50/50 chance to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals, so that was a huge disappointment.

However, I am being a little harsh on Stan the Man. His 2003 team was a ragtag bunch of lesser known players who came back from an 0-7 start to secure a 4th seed and a decent showing against Indiana in the playoffs. He also was unafraid to give playing time to a young rookie name Dwyane Wade. Who knows if Wade ever would have blossomed into the star that he has become had he started under Riley his first two seasons. For that, I give Stan credit.

The end result is that Stan was a good coach for us, and a better person. The conspiracy theories regarding his 2005 exit should be put to rest and he should be allowed to move on. I wish him the best in Orlando, even at our expense this season, as it seems that our year is already down the drain. He may have cost us slightly in the short run, but in the long run it was probably because of him that we got to see Wade explode so quickly onto the NBA scene.

Future for the Heat

Tonight's game made me think a bit. Wade's line was ridiculous: 48 points on 16/21 shooting, 11 assists, 8 boards, 3 steals, 3 blocks. Despite this, the Heat simply could not will out a victory. It's clear they have some pieces that are good enough to take this team to the playoffs, but not enough to win a title. They are simply not playing well enough together for 48 minutes to produce those victories. With Shaq's massive contract weighing us down, the only chance we have now of competing in the immediate future is through the draft.

Luckily Daequan Cook is panning out. Unfortunately he plays Wade's position so when they are on the floor together one of them is uncomfortable with his role. Regardless, Wade needs all the help he can get. Aside from that, the only real contributor we can consistently count on is Udonis Haslem. Dorell Wright shows flashes of fantastic play and then disappears. However, he is still extremely young and will come cheap if the Heat want to re-sign him in the offseason.

That leaves the Heat dependent on the upcoming draft to restock the talent at a low price. At this point the Heat have the 2nd worst record in the NBA, an excellent place to be considering there are a handful of elite prospects out there. The name on everyone's mind is freshman Michael Beasley, a 6'9 240 pound power forward at Kansas State.

Beasley is a monster, averaging 26 points and 14 boards a game. Landing him would be HUGE for this franchise. It would allow a move of Haslem to center for the long run, or maybe just in the rotation behind Shaq. It would even give us the flexibility to trade him elsewhere for a solid point guard.

Speaking of Shaq, I'm starting to wonder if this team doesn't play better without him. He demands attention from both opposing teams and his teammates while he is on the court, and lately he hasn't been able to produce at a very high level. Today's NBA is moving towards small ball and Shaq's aging knees don't cater to that style of play. Unfortunately he is still on the books for 2 more years and 40 million dollars after this season and retiring won't help our cap situation.

Pat Riley really needs to work on a trade as soon as possible. It doesn't look like anything will happen though, because I guarantee you he has been trying. Barring an injury, I don't really think there will be any trade coming up, at least not one that will have a discernable impact on this team.

Frankly, I'm not even sure I want a trade. Just keep losing and get yourself a stud player. Let those 15 million dollars of Williams/Davis' contracts expire without taking in another expensive player with a longer contract and find a way to make things work somehow.

Hopefully we can keep this year's draft pick (lottery protected if not it goes to Minnesota) and maybe we can buy Phoenix's first round pick as they apparently love giving those away every year. If not, things look bleak in otherwise sunny Miami.

Career Night by Wade in Loss to Magic

A shorthanded Miami Heat lost to the Orlando Magic 121-114 in OT. First off, let's get this clear: Dwyane Wade alone nearly beat the Orlando Magic tonight. His performance made him look like the best player in the NBA right now, even if it hasn't looked like it this past month.

Wade scored 48 points (20 in the 4th quarter), nearly shot a ridiculous 80% from the field (16/21) and also had 22 FT attempts. All this in regulation as he didn't get a shot off in OT. Without him, this game isn't even close.

An interesting stat that Sunsports provided was that Wade averages 19 points a 2nd half, which would extrapolate to a ridiculous 38PPG. No surprise there as Dwyane usually turns it on in the 2nd half. Luckily, tonight he got some help offensively from what was left of this roster. Dorell contributed all over the floor and Haslem and Davis both put in 17 points.

However, Davis rushed a bad shot with the lead late in the 4th and the Heat simply collapsed towards the end in every way imaginable. This team really does find new ways to lose. It can't continue because you are not only wasting a great Wade performance, but also making him expend a tremendous amount of energy to no avail.

If this game proves anything it proves that this team is still not good. They needed an otherworldly performance by Dwyane Wade to stay in the game, something you simply can't count on every night. Somehow their defense fell apart after an early start to the season where they were in the top 5. I'm beginning to wonder if Wade's presence isn't at fault and that the players relax a bit knowing that he is on the floor. Wade himself isn't the best on the ball defender and takes too many chances, but overall team defense needs to improve.

By the way... 1) Dwight Howard is a monster with 29 points and 21 boards, and 2) Daequan Cook never went to college. I'm going to have to ignore that this kid went to Ohio State cause he is just too good. An absolute clutch 3 to tie in regulation and 5 more points in the overtime to tie it with about a minute left. He's got confidence, I'll tell you that.

Just another demoralizing loss for the Heat. I'd rather get blown out than lose a seesaw game like this. Wade played another 51 minutes and has to play tomorrow night as well. I don't like the way we are running up the mileage on his career for a season that is all but lost at this point.

Dorsey Gets Extension

Funny that after writing a quick entry on Ken Dorsey just for fun, a much more important story surfaced a couple of days later. The Browns have decided to extend his contract for 3 years, through the 2010 season. This is an interesting move seeing as how Dorsey is basically a career backup in the NFL at this point, particularly with the Browns, who can either continue to start the surprising Derek Anderson or give the reins to 1st round pick Brady Quinn.

Clearly this has something to do with Quinn's affection for his mentor. Dorsey is a cerebral guy and is a natural born leader and teacher at the quarterback position. It's no surprise that Brady wants him around as he goes through the growing pains of the NFL. Terms of the deal are unknown at this point.

While I'm happy for Ken, it's a shame that this means he won't come to UM and mentor young guys at least for a while. He's never publicly stated a desire to do so, but it seems like a match made in heaven. I wouldn't have it any other way. However, Ken deserves an extension and as long a stay in the NFL as he desires.

Parcells Ready to Make His Impact

Only a day into Bill Parcells' stay here in Miami and rumors are spreading about the Dolphins and the future of this team. Sources are saying both Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller are on the way out, as soon as Monday. Potential replacements include Tony Sparano and Romeo Crennel, both former Parcells' proteges.

It looks like Bill wants his own guys in there and does not feel comfortable with any of the people already in place in Davie. Not sure I blame him after this disaster of a season. It's best to get rid of everyone asap and give the new people the full 4-5 months to scout the hell out of the college ranks for players. I've always hated the idea of a lame-duck GM staying through the draft knowing full well he will get the boot as soon as it's over.

In addition the front office moves, Parcells has been linked to a couple of players. During his press conference, he said he doesn't want bad character guys on this team. Granted, this is a similar statement to what Cam Cameron made when he came in, but this might spell the end for Ricky Williams and Joey Porter. I'm not sure cutting either would be a great idea. This team needs talent and sadly those are two of our ten best players.

Finally, a potential FA pickup has been crossed off our list, as the Cowboys extended WR Patrick Clayton's contract. I'm not too sure Parcells would have gone after him anyway. He is familiar with the guy and knows Crayton is a 3rd receiver at best. Throwing 14 million dollars at him would have been a bad way to start off his stay as a Dolphin.

Kirby Freeman to Transfer

Earlier this week I had read up on rumors about Kirby Freeman transferring to Baylor. However, there are so many rumors floating about at any given time, I wanted to wait for confirmation before voicing my opinion on it. Well, now it's official.

The man who tattooed a U on his neck and showed some of the guttiest performances of any player on this current roster is on his way out. Obviously the job has been handed to Robert Marve, unless a true freshman wows the staff and takes it from him.

Freeman disappointed everyone with his consistently bad performances. Despite his best efforts, Kirby really never seemed to be able to produce at a Division I-A level. That being said, I wish him the best. I'll be honest and say I have booed and cursed him many times, sometimes in person. His play was frustrating, arriving at an all time low in that 1 for 13 performance versus NC State. However, Kirby deserved a little better from all of us. He was a true Cane at heart.

Despite not really being a great quarterback at the U, Kirby never looked like he had given up on himself or the team, and that's pretty much all I can ask for from our players. The same can't be said for many kids who have put on that helmet in the last few seasons, though I won't name names. It's a shame that he had to transfer out, but it is probably for the best. He can earn a chance to play elsewhere, and Miami can use his scholarship to give to another player that can contribute. God knows we need as much new blood as possible.

Thankfully, my lasting image of Kirby Freeman won't have to be those mind-boggling interceptions or crushing defeats. Nearly everyone who watched him play will remember him coming in for an injured Kyle Wright down a score late in the 4th quarter at Tallahassee. They'll remember him firing that pass into the corner of the endzone for a touchdown, knowing full well he was about to get crunched between two Seminole defenders. Thanks for the memories, Kirby.

What to do With Cam Cameron

Now that Bill Parcells is officially on the job, he's got several decisions to make. Seeing as how he has complete control over personnel, he'll likely have his hands full watching tape and deciding who gets to stay. Or maybe, he'll only need to watch last week's game versus the Patriots and realize that less than a dozen players on this team deserve to be back next season.

However, the big decision he must make is whether or not bring back Cam Cameron as head coach of the Dolphins. Sunday we will likely lose our 15th game of the season, seeing as how we are without our best DBs, our run defense is terrible, and the Dolphins are facing the Bengals high-powered offense. Our only hope is that their redzone offense is as ineffective as it has been this season. Otherwise, it means the Dolphins will have a pitiful 1-15 season. So is that enough to fire Cam Cameron?

On first glance, I'd say no. This team lacked talent at almost every position when Cameron took over and usually rebuilding projects deserve at least 2 or 3 years. Even some of the most successful coaches in NFL history started off with awful debuts--- Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson to name a few. That being said, Cameron has shown little to prove he's capable of being a Bill Walsh. His rookie mistakes as a coach will be fixed, but is he capable of leading a team to a Super Bowl?

That's the only question that should be in Parcells' mind right now. We don't need a coach that can take this team to a winning record or the playoffs. If we wanted that we would have kept Wanny. I don't know if Cameron is capable of any of these things. However, it's incredibly difficult to evaluate a coach's performance on just one season, and changing the man in charge will create further chaos.

Teams that win usually have stability. Rarely do you get a Jon Gruden who comes in and takes a team straight to the top. Replacing the coach will make things worse in the short term, but has the possibility of making things better long term. In my opinion, I would probably take complete control of this roster, gutting at least half of it over the offseason. Find yourself an offensive coordinator or maybe a defensive one with head coaching experience. Give Cameron half a season to show the team has improved.

If it hasn't, give him the ax and give the interim guy a chance to prove he is capable while at the same time letting the team play through the growing pains of having a new coach during a season that would already theoretically be lost. More than anything, this team needs talent on the field. Coaching is important but not as important as having guys who can actually tackle and catch the ball out there. Parcells can make that happen.

Maybe it's Time for Me to Suit Up

Another loss. Thankfully I didn't catch this one. Now with Shaq and Jason Williams potentially injured, this team will continue its spiral towards the draft lottery. Miami fell behind early and fell short in a comeback attempt at Philadelphia last night, losing 96-85.

The loss is worrisome, but more worrisome is the extended minutes Dwyane Wade is getting in a lost cause of a season. If you're going to play him 44 minutes, you need to surround him with players who will make a difference. Right now Luke Jackson, Alexander Johnson, and Earl Barron are not impact players. Daequan Cook has been a pleasant surprise this season, but missed all 7 of his 3 point shots versus the 76ers.

Shaq producing only 5 points is simply not enough. I feel ridiculous even writing that sentence. There's not much that can be said about the Heat's recent woes. This team desperately needs a trade to shake things up. As much as I hate to say it, everyone but Wade should be available, even Cook and Haslem. Regardless of how much they keep saying that they'll be fine, this team looks to have no future.

Short Piece on Ken Dorsey

I recently came across this article about Ken Dorsey and figured I'd pass it along to those who might be interested. Ken will always be worshiped down here in Coral Gables, so I'm sure most Canes fans would like to know how he's been doing up in Cleveland. Unfortunately he is not in the position to be getting much playing time, but Ken is a selfless guy and will do anything to help the team. Hopefully when he decides to retire he'll come home as an assistant, possibly QB coach. I wouldn't mind having Dorsey showing Marve and Harris the ropes.

Who to Root for This Weekend

Week 17 of the NFL season is upon us, which means my favorite time of the year is coming to a close. Football really does go by way too quickly. However, there is still one week of important games to be played and I thought you guys should get a heads up on who we should probably be rooting for in this weekend's games.

1. Miami- Now that the #1 pick is locked up, we don't have to fear losing it to some miracle run at the end of the season. Beating Cincy wouldn't mean much on paper, but if we can get a look at John Beck (unlikely at this point) or even other young players, that would be a good thing. Hopefully we can end this miserable season with a respectable finish.
2. NY Giants- Having failed at breaking the streak last week, the Dolphins and their fans are resigned to rooting for a New York based team. At least it's not the Jets. Saturday's matchup vs the Patriots is the last chance for the Patriots to lose a game in the regular season. Unfortunately, the Giants have 1) clinched in the 5 seed and thus have little to play for besides spoiler and 2) have Eli Manning on their roster. Don't expect any miracles.
3. Washington- The Skins feature one of the largest collections of former Canes on their roster, so barring some previous vendetta, most Canes fans should support the Redskins on a weekly basis. Now they are in the driver's seat to the playoffs. Pray that Clinton Portis and Co. can carry the load and sneak in for Sean Taylor. It would only be fitting that this team would rally around their fallen teammate.
4. San Francisco- Their unlikely win over the Bucs last week capped a series of games that moved New England's pick from 2nd overall to now 8th overall. A win for the 49ers makes it potentially the 11th or 12th pick in the draft (I would have to see the SOS tiebreakers for the other teams involved). The lower the better, because if the Patriots have a top 5 pick, that would spell disaster for the rest of the AFC, much less the Dolphins. Additionally, a 49ers win would mean a Cleveland loss. Cleveland missing the playoffs is a good thing for us considering the potential trade with Dallas that would include the Cleveland pick for Darren McFadden. A Cleveland loss would mean their pick would be higher and it would be more likely that a deal with Dallas could be reached.
   
5. Tennessee- see above for Cleveland.

EDIT: Cleveland doesn't need to win to make the playoffs, so there is an emphasis on Tennessee needing to win that game vs Indianapolis. Still root for the 49ers though, we don't want the Patriots having a top 5 pick.

Will Patchan Announce Today?

UPDATE 1/05/08: Patchan is a Gator.

It's pretty clear that is what is on everyone's minds today. Will Matt Patchan choose his destination today as rumored? So far there has been no word. Some rumors had the announcement at 3:30, but I see nothing going on as of this moment. He does have to commit soon because he intends on enrolling early, so it won't take more than another week or two at the most.

Other than that, nothing really new going on since the Holton commitment. Miami is targeting 5 star WR DeAndre Brown but the chances of landing him are slim to none. However, things might look better if we had Patrick, Patchan, and Harris on our side. Kids love joining stellar recruiting classes so they can win a title.

Shannon is targeting a few lesser known kids as well in an attempt to round out the class in case the primary targets don't follow Arthur Brown and Co. to Miami. Don't count out the possibility of landing a RB as well, as they are looking at trying to get 5 star Jamie Harper out of Trinity to commit to the Canes. I'm not sure if that's going to happen, but if it doesn't, RB is one position where we are stacked already, so we'd be fine.

Heat Fizzle in Christmas Showdown

Hopefully nobody caught the latest Christmas edition of the Miami Heat this year. That was just plain awful. Miami blew a 10 point 2nd half lead in a blink of an eye and lost 96-82 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The third quarter featured probably the worst basketball in the history of mankind. One minute, Miami had the Cavs on their heels, then the next, it was gone in a flash.

Seemingly every possession ended in a foolish turnover or horribly missed shot. On the other end, the Cavs were draining huge 3s and slamming down lob passes for dunks.

Wade went nearly the entire 2nd half without a field goal and Shaq only avoided fouling out yet again because he was benched at the end of the game. Somehow Miami outrebounded the Cavs, but that must have happened in the first half because almost every loose ball was tracked down by a hustling Cavalier.

The game was flat out depressing. The Heat left 16 points at the free throw line. 50% FT shooting is fine for Shaq, but the rest of the team needs to produce at about 80% to make up for this. There is no reason for Wade to miss half of his 16. It was nice to see Earl Barron putting in some solid minutes, but he is no world beater.

At this point the season is nearing another new low. Barring a major trade, this team is mercifully heading towards a lottery selection in the upcoming draft.

Williams' Stay Near an End?

Ira Winderman's recent article shed a little light on how Jason Williams has been taking the recent trade rumors. Typically you'll see a player accept the business side of their sport and not really give any insight as to how they really feel about being in limbo like that. J-Will however has shown his discontent both on and off the court.

His play has been inconsistent and nowhere near the level we expected it to be considering it is a contract year. The lingering possibility of being traded has been getting to him and his family. Williams is actually taking the whole situation pretty personally " 'We're like some high-paid prostitutes anyway in this league," he said. "They just use and get rid of us whenever they want.'"

I think that's an interesting quote, because I can't help thinking there have to be more players who feel this way, especially when they are being shopped around. However, you usually the PC answers. Williams never has been much for political correctness though. Hopefully the trade deadline will come with either a productive trade for Miami or a promise of job security for Williams so this team's play can improve a bit.

Marlins Sign Castillo

No, not Luis. The Marlins continued their penny pinching ways by signing former Pirate Jose Castillo to potentially fill in the void left by the recently traded Miguel Cabrera. I bring this up only because I find it amusing how they are actually planning on fielding a baseball team this season. Honestly what's the point? Attendance will be horrible as usual, the team will win 45 games, and any prospects that might play up to their potential will just be put on the future trading block.

No offense to Mr. Castillo, but when you trade away the faces of your franchise, the next noticeable transaction you make isn't exactly going to make up for that betrayal. Few other franchises in sports are so obvious about being a business. The Marlins make a boatload off revenue sharing and stand to make millions more once the stadium is built. That's the only reason why they even have a roster. Obviously it's naive to believe any franchise has a higher purpose than to make money, but it would be nice to try to win some games and keep some fan loyalty now and then wouldn't it?

J-Will Trade Rumors

Not much backing these up, but Jason Williams has been (unsurprisingly) the subject of the most recent trade rumors for the Miami Heat. Both the Herald and NY Daily News have mentioned a potential trade between Miami and Memphis for Mike Miller and maybe Stromile Swift. We would be giving up Williams and/or Ricky Davis.

Miller wouldn't be a bad fit, but I don't see him as the answer to our struggles. Davis and Williams have expiring contracts and represent pretty much the only trade chips we have. I don't think we can afford to trade Haslem, Wright or Cook, unless we get wowed with an offer of course. Blount and Parker are about as enticing as Shaq is at this point. Honestly I don't think this team can be fixed with one move unless the Kings go crazy and give us Artest and Bibby.

Other rumors have the Rockets expressing an interest in Williams. However, they don't have anything matching Williams' contract that is of any value. I seriously doubt they would consider trading Battier, and I'll take a pass on Mike James. Bonzi Wells hasn't played up to the level he displayed as a King in the playoffs a few years back, and Luis Scola doesn't make a whole lot of money. Maybe they'll trade us Yao Ming for JWill and Earl Barron.

Miami Cracks Top 20

The new college basketball rankings are out today and Miami is 19th in both major polls. The Canes remain #1 in the RPI. The rankings are a nice touch, but what we should appreciate is the play of the team, which has been excellent. Rankings are irrelevant, unlike in college football. As long as they keep winning and playing well, they'll make the tournament and be ready to make some noise.

However, not everyone has a high opinion of the Hurricanes. Rivals has a piece today about the remaining unbeatens and there are some unkind words about Miami in there. One guy says everything short of rooting against us, stating the Canes might not even deserve to be in the top 50 in the country. Miami clearly isn't one of the better undefeated teams left, but we are definitely better than Sam Houston State and I wouldn't put it past us to be better than Mississippi, no offense to those two teams.

While I feel the guy is wrong in his assessment, the Canes have to continue to play well to earn the respect of the doubters. That 4 game stretch in January is key. If they can go 2-2 there, then I think people will start believing.

Hurricanes top NC A&T

Now that's more like it. After a lackluster 2nd half where the Canes didn't really try to put away North Florida, Miami kept the foot on the pedal yesterday and dominated North Carolina A&T to win 95-64. Incredibly, this puts the team at a perfect 12-0 and matches their win total from last season.

People will be talking about this team making a huge turnaround, but that 12-20 record last season was deceiving. Most of the year we were decimated on the front line, playing guards at forward out of necessity. Now, we have a 9 deep rotation that plays well together and is consistently focused on winning the game.

McClinton led all scorers again with 17, as Miami had 5 players in double figures and shot an impressive 58% from the field. Now, the Canes face a couple of teams who made the NCAA tourney last year in Winthrop and Penn. However, both teams have struggled at times this year, so it's probable that Miami will finish 14-0 in non-conference play.

The real stretch that will determine just how good this team are starts on January 23rd, when we host the top ranked UNC Tar Heels. Then we have a home game vs Clemson, and finally we wrap up the 4 game stretch with a trip to Tobacco Road to play Wake Forest and Duke. Expect a 2-2 record out of that.

C.J. Holton Switches his Commitment

In the wake of the academic scandal, one of FSU's prized recruits has decommitted and pledged to sign with the Canes in February. C.J. Holton is a 4 star safety from Florida and had been rumored to make this move for some time. After watching the Canes beat the Noles up in Tally this season, he seemed to have been swayed some and finally pulled the trigger this weekend.

His decommitment is likely out of interest in Miami more so than the scandal affecting the FSU football team. However, he was not the only one to leave, as they lost stud DE Moses McCray to LSU. It will be interesting to see if the violations will have any further effect on what was a top 5 class heading into January.

Otherwise, all quiet on the recruiting front. Miami still plans on having several DBs visiting despite the commitment from Holton. Nobody around here is confident about signing Patrick Johnson. It's been suggested that if we sign UCLA interim coach Dewayne Walker as our DC, he might bring CB Aaron Hester along with him. For now, thats just speculation though. Matt Patchan's announcement is now only a couple of days away (supposedly) and the Army AA game is in a week or so. We'll know for sure about Patrick then.

Dolphins Dominated...

Or so the boxscore would tell you. This team did a surprising job of hanging around despite being down 3 or 4 touchdowns most of the game. Those who didn't get a chance to see the game would have missed two drives down to the goal line where the Dolphins failed to convert on 4th down. That would have made it 28-21 in hindsight, but likely had that been the case the Patriots would have stepped on the gas again and run us over.

Lemon did nothing to prove he is worth being the starting QB. Again. I really hope they start Beck next week against a bad Cincy defense. It's a shame John hasn't gotten a chance to play with Ronnie Brown yet, because having a feature back with that talent can make the game much easier for any QB, much less a rookie.

The receivers and backs were nothing special, though Chatman had a few hard runs. The OL was awful again and for some reason continued its regression. Maybe Jake Long is an option after all. I would consider trading down before getting him though, as he isn't an elite talent compared with other top OL selected of late.

The defense was disappointing again, but that was to be expected with all the injuries and overall talent level of the Patriots. They actually put some nice pressure on Tom Brady, who uncharacteristically threw a pair of picks, one to Jason Allen. For all the heat Allen receives (well-deserved), he does have 3 interceptions this season, when the entire defensive backfield only had 7 all last year I think. Allen can still be a liability but at least he is marginally improving.

Now the team faces a truly useless game against the Bengals. The #1 pick is locked up and the only thing coming out of this game is evaluation of younger players.

Heat-Jazz Recap

Saturday's game vs the Jazz was a classic. Miami blew an 11 point fourth quarter lead late in the game only to receive clutch shots from Daequan Cook and Dwyane Wade, who managed to make the game winner as time expired.

What concerns me is this team's lack of closing ability in the 4th. This was nearly the 3rd straight game where the Heat would have blown a 4th quarter lead only to lose at the last moment or in OT. We beat a good team, but must bear in mind we usually match up well with the Jazz. I still consider this team to be in the bottom 10 in the NBA right now.

Wade had a decent game, and finally got the consistent effort from the supporting cast. Shaq had a nice outing before fouling out yet again, a problem that seriously needs to be addressed. Can't be paying the man 20 million dollars for 25 minutes a game. The aforementioned Cook had a huge game for us with 15 points, including that much needed 3 pointer down 1 in the final minute.

Even Earl Barron has stepped up for the Heat. He made a solid appearance in the previous game and this time ran off 11 straight points in the 2nd quarter and finished with 13 overall. If he can contribute like this consistently, then that would be a load off of Wade's back. Dorell got some good minutes in there too, despite sharing the load with Ricky Davis.

What I don't understand is how this team can shoot better, get less turnovers, more steals and blocks, and nearly even on the boards, yet almost lose the game. Tonight the culprit was Utah's shooting spree at the line, but many nights we shoot more FTs than our opponents and the same scenario occurs. This team keeps finding ways to lose games. At this point I have zero faith in their ability to close. Taking that into account, if they even make the playoffs they don't look capable of making a splash. I almost wanted to lose the Jazz game just so we can start looking towards the lottery and making this team better for Wade.

Matt Patchan and Brandon Harris Update

UPDATE: Patchan is a Gator. 1/5/08

Seeing as how many visitors come to the blog for recruiting updates, I figured I would give everyone a heads up on the situation with a few remaining recruits for the Canes. Patchan's announcement date is now supposedly the 26th, as his family wanted to focus on Christmas before all the recruiting hoopla. He is set to choose between LSU, UM, and UF. Rumors have him leaning towards UF despite the Cane legacy in his family, while others say its 50/50 for UM and UF. Personally I wouldn't rule out LSU. However, a guy doesn't speak up about the lack of heart on this current Hurricanes roster like he did without having a vested interest in the school. He is reported to have been very interested in seeing where Arthur Brown committed, so that definitely helps us.

Brandon Harris is another guy that might be split between Miami and the Gators. He has been rumored to be a Cane silent commit for months now, but Brandon is doing the smart thing and taking his time. His announcement date is set for National Signing Day on February 7th. Landing him would be huge, especially if Patrick Johnson ends up going elsewhere.

Harris is just one of a few DBs we are trying to sign at the moment. News on the TJ Bryant front has been dead for months now, as the 5 star corner is just as likely to go elsewhere as he is to come here. Miami is currently trying to bring in a couple of safeties as well, first by potentially swaying FSU commit CJ Holton, and then bringing in Vaughn Telemaque, Herman Davidson, and CB Aaron Hester (UCLA commit) in from California for a visit on the weekend of the 18th of January.

Other targets we are looking at are DEs Markus White and Corey Liuget, currently committed to FSU and Illinois, respectively. The staff is trying to sway them over, and considering the recent academic troubles at FSU we might have a decent shot at White. I wouldn't bank on either though. Same goes for WR Tommy Streeter. The 6'6 stud has played it close to the vest and might end up going somewhere where he will be the top guy.

Clearly the coaching staff is working around the clock to fill out this class with as much talent as possible. Expect next year's team to resemble the 99 Canes, full of young promising talent, but not yet ready to compete at the highest level.

Jason Taylor Questionable for Tomorrow's Game

If the Dolphins have any shot in hell of beating New England tomorrow, they will need JT's pass rushing abilities. However, Taylor might be held out of the game due to an injury on his left foot, putting his Dolphin record of 128 straight games starting in question. Jason currently shares the record with Jim Langer and playing tomorrow would put Jason alone on top.

It's a tough situation to be in for the organization, for Taylor, and for the fans. It would be great to see him go out there and break the record, potentially helping us snap the Patriots win streak. Especially since he might be playing his last 2 games as a Dolphin. However, it does nobody good if he hurts himself even further or injures himself elsewhere trying to compensate for his left foot. It's unlikely even if he plays that he will have much of an impact, and we can't fool ourselves into thinking we can really win this football game to begin with.

If he's healthy, play him, if not then give the rookie Moses another chance to prove his worth. The guy has the tools to be a good player and we could use this chance to further evaluate his abilities. It would be sad to see the streak end, but there's nothing worse than seeing injured players on the field for the sole purpose of keeping streaks alive, while hurting their teams chances in the process.

FSU Down 36 Players for Bowl

An update has been released on the Florida State academic scandal, and now the Seminoles will be down 36 players for their bowl against Kentucky late next week. Some missing players of note are backup QB Xavier Lee, starting corner Patrick Robinson, and several defensive tackles. However, it should be noted that not all of the 34 will be missing the game due to the scandal. Several players are supposedly missing the bowl game for other, unidentified reasons.

This doesn't really mean much. I'm sure the FSU fanbase isn't really concerned with the outcome of the Music City Bowl. What it does mean is that FSU is potentially without some key players for the beginning of next season, which I'm sure is what Seminole fans are looking forward to at this point.

Dolphins Draft Options Part 2

With a loss on Sunday the Dolphins ensure the #1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft. The potential prospects are plenty and regardless of what they do, the Dolphins will be getting an impact player at a position of need, a luxury that many teams don't get in their drafts. However, I thought I might tinker with the draft value chart to see what the Dolphins could get for their pick.

Pretty much every scenario involves Darren McFadden, a talent along the lines of Minnesota back Adrian Peterson. Many teams will covet him and as of right now, 3 of the top 5 teams in the draft would be well off drafting him. That means there should be a healthy demand for jumping to the #1 overall pick and ensuring a selection of the the Arkansas back.

Scenario 1: The Dallas Cowboys make a play for Jerry Jones' mancrush. Right now they would have the 23rd pick in the draft, and assuming they lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, they would also have the 31st. This is the Dolphins best chance to get a package of picks in the first round, but also represents a severe shortage of value.

The #1 overall pick is valued at 3000 points according to the draft value chart, while the combination of Dallas' first round picks is less than half that at 1360. Throw in Dallas' 2nd round pick and it's still about 1350 value points under what the Dolphins need for the first pick. Therefore we are really looking at a scenario where Dallas forks over both 1st round picks, their 2nd round pick, and probably next year's 1st and 3rd/4th in order to really be fair for Miami. It's unlikely Dallas would trade so many picks for just one player so that probably takes them out of the running.

Scenario 2 has us trading down to 3 to the Jets, who either fear us dealing McFadden elsewhere or fear a Patriots decision to make a play for him. Trading their first 3 picks equals a fair deal according to the chart, but it's also unlikely that a poor team like the Jets will risk failing to improve several holes in their roster in order to take one running back.

The same situation happens for nearly every scenario involving McFadden. Is it worth trading a bundle of picks for just one player? Especially when you can pick up a competent RB off the street? The Cowboys are really the only ones with a spare 1st but thanks to Cleveland's success, it's a late 1st at best. At this juncture, it seems like Parcells will draft either Glenn Dorsey or Chris Long to shore up the defensive line with a big body because trading down seems unlikely barring someone really decides to give up a boatload for McFadden or one of the other elite prospects. Personally I hope somebody takes the bait, preferably the Jets who offer early picks in the first day to give us potentially 6 of the first 65 picks.

Canes Play "Horribly" in Win

Last night the Miami Hurricanes basketball team remained undefeated with an easy cakewalk win over North Florida 85-63. Jack McClinton and Dwayne Collins led all scorers with 13 apiece. In fact, just about everyone who played solid minutes for Miami hit double figures in scoring. This team is time and again proving that it is a team. Rarely do you see anyone above 15 points, but you see a bunch of players scoring between 9 and 14. That's going to make this team tough to beat with so many options offensively, though having a proven scoring option is also something you need in crunch time.

Despite the easy victory, Frank Haith was not pleased. He called last night the Canes "worst performance" yet. The game wasn't televised so theres not much I can say to verify that statement, but I was a bit concerned that after breaking a 23 point halftime lead, the Canes let North Florida play with them stride for stride in the 2nd half. Regardless, I think it's a great thing if your coach is ripping into you after a 22 point victory. It shows this team is better than that and is capable of great things, and that Frank Haith is intent on keeping his team focused through all their success.

Heat Lose Another Close One

Yet another magnificent performance from Dwyane Wade, who is looking more and more like his old self, leading this team as far as he can with 41 points. However, it was Udonis Haslem this time with an unorthodox, yet clutch jumper to tie in regulation.

Sadly it wasn't enough as the Heat lost again in overtime, this time to the New Jersey Nets 107-103. The Heat got no help from the refs who blew a call that should have given us the ball back down 2 with 18 seconds to go. Instead the Heat were forced to foul and ended up with another home loss.

This was yet another deflating loss as the Heat led through much of this game and lost another player to injury. This time it was young point guard Chris Quinn, who left the game in the 3rd quarter with an ankle injury.

Dorell Wright had an incredible first half, scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 boards, 5 on the offensive glass. His energy is something this team desperately needs, but for the most part he disappeared in the 2nd half as Riley inexplicably turned to Ricky Davis.

The aforementioned Davis had another poor showing from the field, but it wasn't out of lack of effort. And yes, that was an Earl Barron sighting. Barron playing some of his first meaningful minutes of the season and made a couple of nice buckets, but also forced a shot or two. Shaq's performance was typical of the season and he fouled out in overtime without making much of an impact.

The story of the night was the play of Dwyane Wade, who has played back to back nights of extended minutes. Sadly, his efforts have been for naught as the Heat continue to find ways to lose. Now they consistently allow over 100 points and are getting beaten on the boards all the time. Tonight they got out-rebounded by terrible rebounding team in the Nets. Somehow Pat Riley has to find a way to upgrade this roster because it's simply not working.

Pursuit of Perfection

With the upcoming Dolphins-Patriots game this Sunday, all of us are subject to the barrage of 72 Dolphin undefeated talk from every major media outlet. Taking the Giants' collapse into account, sadly it seems that this year's Dolphins might just be the last team that can beat the Patriots. In other words, we're screwed. Barring a blizzard that would level the playing field, the Patriots will probably head into the playoffs undefeated.

What does this mean for the 72 Dolphins' legacy? Not much. They are still the first team to do it and nobody will ever forget that. If the Patriots match their feat, it would probably put them above the 72 Dolphins, but frankly I am far more worried about the 2008 Dolphins.

We cant forget that the Patriots don't exactly have a cakewalk playoff schedule ahead of them either. They'd have to face Jax/SD, Indianapolis, and then probably Green Bay or Dallas. However, I almost want the Patriots to do it (I really don't) because nothing is worse than delusional Dolfans who bring our past into arguments about current teams. It's great to be proud of your history, but a growing percentage of our fanbase wasn't even alive back in 1972, much less old enough to appreciate its significance.

If the Patriots do manage to run the table, they would clearly be the best team of all time. They've definitely shown some vulnerability, but for a team in the free agent era to do what the Patriots are doing, that's just flat out impressive. Their point differential is probably going to blow the record out of the water, and before a recent few weeks of struggles, they were legitimately heading towards 40 points scored a game.

Retiring Numbers

Last night's injury to Alonzo Mourning probably spells the end of his career. In all likelihood, Zo's #33 will be hung from the rafters at the AAA as the first Heat player to have his jersey retired by the franchise. Many of you may know that he won't be the first NBA player to have his jersey retired by the Heat, as Michael Jordan owns that distinction.

My question is, after Alonzo's number is retired for good, what next for the Miami Heat? Is there anyone on this roster who will have that same opportunity? I believe franchises build their image through consistent rosters of good players who stick around for several years. Miami has been unfortunate in that most of the players we've celebrated around here haven't stayed very long. Rice, Smith, Caron, Odom, etc.

Shaquille O'Neal only has 3 years left on his contract and likely his career. Barring some major injury or a trade that we just can't turn down, he will have finished his last 6 years of his career with the Miami Heat. Considering he has been past his prime, it is unlikely he will do anything notable other than have helped bring us a title in 05-06. When he retires, will he have done enough to earn his #32 being retired from this team? I'd say not, but it's a difficult decision that the organization must make. I don't think you ever want to burn a bridge with a guy like Shaq, though obviously by then the impact of a rocky relationship with him won't be as big as it would be now.

Finally, we've got the future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade leading our team. There is no doubt that if he sticks around for his entire career, or at least most of it, Dwyane will get his number retired. He is clearly the best player the franchise has ever had and has brought us one title and with the right moves, has the potential to bring us a couple more. However, it is not a sure bet that he will stay after his contract is up. This team is a mess and is strapped for cap space with O'Neal's massive contract hindering us from making any moves to help Wade out. Hopefully this draft can provide some talent and maybe Riles can swindle someone into taking our trash.

Travis Benjamin Commits

The Canes have received their 5th WR commit of the recruiting season in Travis Benjamin of Belle Glades. Travis is a speedster in the mold of Santana Moss and upgrades the Hurricanes receiving corps even further. His commitment never was that much in question, but there were worries he wouldn't qualify academically. Luckily Travis took care of business and congrats to the young man for being the next Cane.

Travis' commitment means several things. First, we are down to only a handful of spots left for this recruiting class. Tommy Streeter of MNW may have possibly missed the boat at this point, though a kid of his talents probably could find his way on this roster somehow. Secondly, it means that someone like Sam Shields needs to light it up every week in practice or else he will find himself riding pine. The two biggest problems the past 3 years offensively have been the lack of QB play and talent at WR. With this class, Shannon is bringing in 3 new QBs to compete with stud Robert Marve and is bringing in 5 receivers to compete with last year's crop of kids (Kayne Farquharson, Leonard Hankerson, and Jermaine McKenzie). It'll probably take a year or so to get the offense rolling but expect serious improvements by 2009.

In other recruiting news, still no new word on Patrick Johnson. He was upset by Walton's firing, but nobody knows where the guy will end up. We'll have to wait and see. More importantly, today was full of rumors of potential commitments by Matt Patchan and Brandon Harris. Supposedly Patchan will decide tomorrow at 5pm. Hopefully where there is smoke there is fire, however in the recruiting game, sometimes that smoke is being blown up our collective asses. Patience is the key, as is faith that Randy Shannon will bring in a class that takes Miami back to the top.

Heat Wastes Wade's Performance

The Heat gave us a nice showing tonight after Zo's injury, but lost 117-111 to the Hawks in Atlanta. Wade dominated in the 4th and overtime, and again benefited from a slew of FTs (topping the most made by any player this season with 20). His final stat line showed a near triple double with 36 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds, but even that didn't take his clutch defense in the 4th and OT into account. Brilliant close to the game by Wade.

However, Ricky Davis missed the open 3 to win it in regulation and was generally anti-clutch the entire end of the game, allowing the Hawks to stay in it and eventually win. Tough to blame a loss on any one player but he certainly didn't do much to help our cause. Absolutely deflating night overall.

Shaq had another OK game considering his main backup was out. Too many turnovers and again a disappointing lack of lift on what few shots he took. He did have a rare good game from the charity stripe though. Daequan provided a nice clutch shot in the 4th when the game seemed to be slipping away, and Haslem had another nice performance. The Heat were without J-Will who sat out the game with a hyper-extended knee.

Now that they have to play without Zo, it'll be interesting to see what the rotation will look like, specifically at the 4 and 5 positions. Blount theoretically should be more effective in an offense that leaves him open, so maybe he'll take advantage of his extended minutes. Regardless, the team needs production from other players now with Zo going down. They won't be getting 50 FTs too often.

Walt Frazier Retires

A lesser known figure in Miami sports during the years has been Walt Frazier, the now former football coach of Carol City. After 26 long seasons at Carol City, Frazier has decided to call it quits. The man certainly has earned a peaceful retirement after bringing up hundreds of young teenagers and helping turn them into men.

Some of Frazier's most high profile players have come and gone through the University of Miami, in case anyone was wondering. Aside from success stories such as the Moss brothers, Kenny Phillips, Eric Moncur, Glenn Sharpe, and Ethenic Sands, Frazier's Carol City squads also produced former Cane disappointment Willie Williams as well as Ricky-Jean Francois, a stud DE that slipped away to LSU a few years back. Good luck, Coach.

Parcells to Dolphins, Wayne Reneging

Huge news being reported by multiple sources tonight: Bill Parcells accepted an 11th hour offer by the Miami Dolphins to become the VP of Football Operations, just hours after all but accepting a similar position with the Atlanta Falcons. The key reason why he chose the Dolphins was a phone call from Wayne Huizenga apparently expressing his desire to keep the team. Whether or not this promise means he won't sell the team outright or a portion of the team to minority owners is unknown. All we know now is that it was enough to sway Bill into all but signing a 4-year deal with Miami.

Barring a last second change of heart (nothing is official yet), Bill will take over football decisions and have the power to bring in new coaches and personnel men. What this means for Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller is unknown at this point. If Parcells can sway Cowher into coaching again, that would be an amazing turnaround for a franchise with no stable figureheads that people can believe in.

As far as Parcells is concerned, I'm not totally sold on his abilities anymore. At Dallas his teams weren't really that good and underperformed. He did choose most of their current starters, but like any team, the Cowboys success relies heavily on their QB Tony Romo, a guy that was basically a shot in the dark. Think of Belichick and Tom Brady. Without those two QBs, those teams aren't as good as we think they are so we need to take their success with a grain of salt. Is Parcells still a football genius, or did he get lucky that Romo evolved into a Pro Bowl caliber QB? Who knows.

As far as our current coaching staff and personnel executives, I'm not sure what to make of them either. Cameron has been awful but he has been handed an equally awful roster and to be fair, several of the games bests coaches have started 1-15 or 2-14. He might deserve another year. However, there needs to be a serious evaluation of everyone involved in the decision making process. Certain moves were head-scratchers (though I still back the Welker trade) and we have to make sure that this years draft is fruitful. In addition, we have to be sure whoever is in charge wisely makes use of our 25 million dollars in cap space this offseason so that the Dolphins will be on their way up as soon as possible.