Everett Waived

This is actually a good thing. Buffalo was great to our former Cane, but obviously they need to move on with their roster and placed Kevin on the waived/failed physical list. I believe this means they don't have to pay him his 400,000+ dollar salary, but in turn allows him to collect a 225,000 dollar a year disability payment from the NFL.

Because the Bills paid him his entire salary last season, he became eligible for an NFL pension, receiving about $1500 a month. It might not seem like a whole lot, but combined with his disability checks and I think Kevin should be taken care of for the rest of his life assuming the hospital bills aren't too high.

This is one of the few examples where you see the system work. The NFL is notorious for not taking care of it's older retired players, many of which are extremely disabled due to years of brutal play in the NFL. This is a nice story to hear. Best of luck to Kevin, who is an inspiration to everyone and presents hope to all those who have been paralyzed.

Undrafted Canes

Miami didn't do too well on the second day of the draft this year. Besides Tavares Gooden to the Ravens in the 3rd, nobody else got drafted. I was hoping that someone would take a flier on Darnell Jenkins or Derrick Morse, but I guess neither were seen as draftable prospects. Regardless, a handful of players from UM were signed to free agent contracts.

Kyle Wright to the Vikings. Nice pickup for them. If he gets brainwashed into playing better he isn't much worse than Tarvaris Jackson.

Lance Leggett to the Browns. Don't see why they would go here after they signed Ryan Moore last season with no success.

Darnell Jenkins to the Texans. Nice move by the Texans, who at some point need to find a complement to Andre Johnson.

Glenn Sharpe to the Falcons. Sharpe has many of the physical tools to play at the next level but his injury history is a huge red flag.

The Herald is reporting that Vegas Franklin was invited to a camp by the Bucs.

Calais Goes to Arizona

I didn't pick him as one of the guys I wanted because he underperformed here in Miami. But I still wanted him to be picked as high as possible. I feel for him, because he was a Top 10 pick last year. That is a whole lot of guaranteed money lost on the table. 

He should do well in Arizona, where he has guys like Antrel Rolle and Edgerrin James to welcome him into the NFL. He has got a lot to learn, but has the passion and physical tools to become a top defensive end in the NFL. 

Next up should be Tavares Gooden in the next hour, or early tomorrow morning. Good luck to him as well.

Guys I Want

There are plenty of players available that I would like to take a look at.

For our 2nd round pick I would like to see if either Limas Sweed or DeSean Jackson slip far enough to draft. I especially am interested in Sweed. Getting Henne or Brohm would be interesting, but I don't really want one of those two QBs today.

Fred Davis and Jamaal Charles would be nice picks in the 2nd or 3rd round. I doubt we'll go after Davis because we just traded for Fasano, but who knows. They might end up going after a DT in Pat Sims or maybe go inside linebacker with Dan Connor or Tavares Gooden. Both of those guys are decent players but I'm not entirely sure they fit the system.

Corner would be a nice pick in the 2nd-3rd round area. I like Justin King, Reggie Smith, or Terrell Thomas. Granted they are all big school guys, but I've seen enough of the latter two to feel comfortable with them as picks. King is a risk because he hasn't lived up to his 5-star potential, but might be worth it if you fear a CB run.

I would actually like to see us go after Dennis Dixon in the 6th round if he is available. It's not much of a risk that late in the draft and he has a lot of upside. Glenn Sharpe wouldn't be a bad move either. He's been rated as having Day 1 talent but there are injury and consistency concerns.

I don't know about Malcolm Kelly or Mario Manningham. Both were excellent college guys, but have some red flags. If the latter is available in the 4th round, I wouldn't be surprised if the Dolphins draft him for his upside though. I would also take a look at the big target from Louisville, Mario Urrutia in the 6th or 7th round.

Streak Survives...Barely

I have to say I was sweating that one out. The lack of a run on DE's pretty much sealed Calais' fate as a 2nd-3rd round selection, but I was really worried nobody would take Kenny Phillips. Most mocks I saw had him going to the Giants, but I still wanted him to get picked a lot earlier to avoid the waiting.

Instead, pick after pick came and went and Phillips stayed on the board. The Giants were all that stood between us and the end of the streak. Thank God for the G-men. That's twice now that the Giants have saved Miami fans this year. First with the Super Bowl, then with the draft. Thanks, New York. Enjoy yourselves a great player and good luck in the next season defending your title.

Joseph Signs With Raiders

I had read that the Dolphins had some serious interest in William Joseph of the Giants. The DE was a first round pick off of that stellar 2001 UM team, but never really played up to his potential. Miami was looking to sign him, but supposedly he failed one of their tests during the physical, so no contract was offered. Today, the former Cane signed with the Raiders. Hopefully he can emulate the play of former Raider/Cane Warren Sapp while he is there.

Joseph Visits Fins

Former Canes 1st round pick William Joseph visited the Dolphins on Thursday after spending the past few seasons with the Giants.

Joseph was part of that 8-deep 2001 defensive line that helped take us to a championship. He has the talent but hasn't really produced at the level anyone thought he would. Come to think of it, most of that line hasn't done much. Jerome McDougle has been solid but unspectacular. I don't even know if Jamaal Green is in the league anymore. I doubt Matt Walters is. Vince Wilfork was part of that lineup and has been the biggest success so far in the NFL.

I'm not sure Joseph fits in at NT with the Dolphins. They would probably make him a 3-4 DE in this system if he were to sign here. Hopefully he does.

Morgan Lands with the Saints

Dan Morgan will join the guy who replaced him at UM, as he signed a deal with the New Orleans saints. Morgan and Vilma were two of the best LBs to ever wear a uniform at the U and now will be in the same front 7. However, they both supposedly play MLB, so it should be interesting to see who starts and who is benched/gets moved to the outside. I would imagine that the Saints would place the smaller Vilma on the weak side if they plan on starting both players.

Some Notes About UM's Pro Day

UM typically has one of the most attended Pro Day's in all of college football, but understandable this turnout wasn't going to be as high as usual with the lack of overall talent this team has suffered from of late. However, 15 prospects still worked at for NFL scouts and for the most part improved their stock.

If you want an in-depth look at how we did, read Manny's blog and the Sun-Sentinel's coverage of the workouts. Pretty much everyone who took part improved on their Combine workouts. Guys like Darnell Jenkins, Tavares Gooden, and Kyle Wright shaved a tenth or two off their 40 times.

While that's great news for our kids, I'd still take it with a grain of salt. You never know what kind of advantages our guys have at our own Pro Day, so I'm sure scouts will take note of the fact that our players had slower times on a neutral field. Regardless, improving on your numbers doesn't hurt your stock at all, so I'm happy that they all made themselves a little bit of money and/or job security for next season.

Vilma a Saint, Shockey Next?

The New Orleans Saints acquired former Cane Jonathan Vilma from the Jets for a conditional 2009 draft pick. It's unknown what the conditions are at this point. Hopefully Jonathan can have an impact in a defense better suited to his needs.

Additionally, the Saints might be trying to trade for controversial TE Jeremy Shockey of the Giants. New York has said he is not for sale, but I wouldn't be surprised if a move is made. That would be a nice influx of talent from the U to New Orleans, and would probably make them the favorites to win the NFC South next season.

Latest NFL News, Including Vilma

God I love PFT.

Anyway, Vilma is now supposedly heading to the Saints. I don't know what happened to the Lions, but PFT reports New Orleans is the new favorite.

Next, forget about signing Flozell Adams from the Cowboys. There was the Parcells link there, but Dallas has signed the OT to a 6 year deal.

Tough loss for the Dolphins, but now that the Chargers have cut Shane Olivea, he might be a good option as well.

If we are interested in Panthers DT Kris Jenkins, then we'll have to compete with the Jets.

Lions Favorites to Land Vilma?

PFT is reporting that the Lions are the favorites for Jonathan Vilma's services. The Jets have allowed Vilma to shop himself anywhere other than to the Patriots. When I heard that, I hoped Miami could find a way to bring him home. It would be unfortunate if he ended up in Detroit. I find it hard to root for the Lions just because they might have one of my favorite players.

And if you were hoping to sign Asante Samuel, then we might be out of luck there too. PFT says New Orleans is the probable destination for the corner.

Kenny and Calais at the Combine

Campbell worked out yesterday, and had what I felt was a slightly disappointing outing. I know he's huge and all, but I was under the impression he was a little faster than that 5.0 40. Although the 40 is pretty useless for DL, he didn't stand out in any of his other workouts as well. That being said, his frame is enough to land him a spot in the late first round.

Kenny was the recipient of the greatest evaluation I've ever seen on NFL Network. His positives were standard "speed" "toughness" and whatnot, but his negative was "Not Ed Reed". I don't know what else to say except that it's hilarious that his most prominent negative is that he isn't someone else. His workouts were pretty good, having finished as a top performer in the bench press and running a solid 4.55 40 (with a pretty weird running technique, so he might be faster). I'm pretty sure he will be picked in the 1st round as well. It's unlikely he'd slip past the Dolphins at #32.

Also, a note on Tavares Gooden. He has been doing really well at the combine, running a 4.6 and having a huge 35 inch vertical (second highest at his position). He also did well in the broad jump. He might have slipped into Day 1 with his performance in Indy.

McKinnie Arrested

Not good news for those of us who try to defend the UM football program. I have to say that for the most part, our players' altercations are typical incidents that really don't count as serious crimes. However, a lot of our guys have been showing poor judgment when they go out at night.

This time it's Bryant McKinnie who was arrested at Club Space for getting in an altercation with a bouncer there. McKinnie had been thrown out earlier and came back to continue the argument, which eventually resulted in the bouncer getting whacked with a pole.

This is Bryant's second run-in with the law after a night on the town (or on the high seas). I could get into how I think high profile players should be more careful when they go out, but I won't lecture anyone about that. Instead, I'd like to know what the heck he was doing at Club Space. That's in the middle of nowhere.

If you're going to get caught doing something dumb at least do it on South Beach.

Kyle Wright at the Combine

Much has been said about Wright's failures here in Miami. However, he never quit on this team or himself. He might not have performed up to our standards, but the kid is tough and deserves a chance in the pros. My guess is that his elite physical tools will get him drafted in the 7th round, but his resume doesn't allow for him to have any shot at Day 1.

At the combine, Wright is one of the three "throwing QBs" that stay an additional 2 days and are responsible for all the mundane activities that other QBs aren't forced to do. Visit NFL.com and read his combine diaries to get a feel for what Kyle is doing in Indy and how he feels about his chances against the other guys.

Roscoe Parrish Charged With DUI

Dumb move on the part of Roscoe, but I doubt it'll result in anything too serious. I keep wondering why these guys don't pay for drivers when they go clubbing on South Beach.

Feagles to Play 2 More Years

Yes, that Jeff Feagles. The former Hurricanes punter has been in the NFL almost as long as I've been alive. He owns the NFL record for appearing in 320 consecutive regular season games. That's twenty seasons without missing a game. Even for a punter that's pretty impressive.

In addition to winning a Super Bowl last week, he has agreed to a 2-year deal with the champion Giants. On top of that, he will be inducted into the University of Miami Hall of Fame today. Don't be surprised if one day he isn't also invited to Canton.

Panthers Cut Morgan, Wahle

As mentioned in today's YiM post, the Carolina Panthers cut ties with former Hurricanes LB Dan Morgan. They also released former Pro Bowl guard Mike Wahle.

Morgan is now available to be signed by any team, and a return to Miami would most definitely be a welcome one. Obviously, a contract would have to be incentive laden due to his extensive injury history. One problem is that the Dolphins have yet to decide on a defensive scheme. Regardless, I think Morgan has the size to fit in either the 3-4 or the 4-3.

The real issue here is his inability to stay healthy. More importantly, he has had the same problems Zach Thomas is now having with severe concussions. Is Morgan worth the financial risk? Should he even be playing anymore? I can't say. All I know is if the Dolphins' medical staff clears him, then the team should pursue a deal. When healthy, Morgan is one of the Top 5 middle linebackers in the game.

The former Cane isn't the only Panthers cut that I'm interested in either. Mike Wahle is only 30 and is a top flight offensive guard. He might have lost a step but he is easily an upgrade over what we've got at either guard position. The biggest problem with signing him, or Morgan for that matter, is that we have so many holes to fill that we cannot afford to make too big a splash on any one free agent.

Hester's Competition

Read this last night while surfing the WWL.

I've seen lots of Cleveland Browns games and I'll be the first to tell you that Josh Cribbs is an excellent returner. He always seems to break one loose to midfield. However, the suggestion he is as good or better than Devin Hester is pure hubris on his part.

Cribbs might have the better average YPR, but Hester is entirely correct when pointing out that teams rarely even kick to him. Teams gameplan against Hester just so they don't end up watching the back of his jersey while he takes one back to the house. Cribbs isn't consistently the focus of anyone's special teams play.

Devin is a once in a lifetime talent when it comes to what he does. What's even better is that he is finally starting to grasp the WR position, something he couldn't do at Miami. Heck, Coker failed to develop Devin at any position at Miami.

On that note, you might notice a returners rankings on the side of that article. Clayton has Ted Ginn 5th in the NFL. It's an interesting opinion, to say the least. I'm not sold on Ginn as a game breaker quite just yet. I'll venture to say he'll take one back every season because he is so fast, but he doesn't have Cribbs' or Hester's skills.

Skins to Honor Taylor in Hawaii

What will be our final chance to watch football this season will also probably be the last of a series of tributes for the fallen Sean Taylor. Three of Taylor's Redskin teammates will wear 21 the entire game in his honor.

Hopefully, now the healing process can truly begin for everyone who knew Sean, or for anyone who followed him play throughout his career. His tragic death gave us all a reminder of how short life can be. It hits us harder when a high-profile celebrity meets such a sad end, because part of us sees these guys as invincible.

My hope is that Sean won't be forgotten. People need to remember what he did to save his family, and they mustn't forget the impact he had on those who knew him personally. If anything good came from this, its that some athletes might start protecting themselves a little more. But more importantly, Sean's legacy will be defined by the outpouring of grief and moving tributes to him after his death, not his indiscretions as a young man.

However, as time goes by, I think of Bryan Pata. Sean's death was the one of the worst stories in 2007, but his family can rest easier knowing they have some closure, some answers. Bryan's case remains unsolved, and the longer these things take, the less likely it is they are ever solved. I pray for his family's sake that sometime soon the nightmare will be over for them.