2007 Miami Dolphins Schedule

The Sun-Sentinel has obtained Miami's 2007 schedule. Here it is (all games are listed in Eastern time):

Week 1 - Sunday, September 9
AWAY vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 2 - Sunday, September 16
HOME vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:05 PM (FOX)

Week 3 - Sunday, September 23
AWAY vs. New York Jets 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 4 - Sunday, September 30
HOME vs. Oakland Raiders 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 5 - Sunday, October 7
AWAY vs. Houston Texans 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 6 - Sunday, October 14
AWAY vs. Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 7 - Sunday, October 21
HOME vs. New England Patriots 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 8 - Sunday, October 28
(@ Wembley Stadium, London) vs. New York Giants 1:00 PM (FOX)

Week 9 - BYE WEEK

Week 10 - Sunday, November 11
HOME vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 11 - Sunday, November 18
AWAY vs. Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 12 - Monday, November 26
AWAY vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 8:30 PM (ESPN)

Week 13 - Sunday, December 2
HOME vs. New York Jets 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 14 - Sunday, December 9
AWAY vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 15 - Sunday, December 16
HOME vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 16 - Sunday, December 23
AWAY vs. New England Patriots 1:00 PM (CBS)

Week 17 - Sunday, December 30
HOME vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM (CBS)

Hold Off on the QB Overreactions

Contrary to a former report, QB David Carr will not be making a visit to South Florida. On Friday, he agreed to a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. Some Dolphins fans are upset that Miami didn't land Carr, but I don't really think he was ever in serious contention for Miami's QB job. If anything, Miami's stated interest in Carr was simply a way to gain leverage for making a deal with Kansas City for QB Trent Green. Everyone can agree that much of Carr's problems in Houston derived from their absolutely awful offensive line. That problem obviously limited him from nearing his full potential, but let's be reasonable here; in five seasons, Carr compiled more interceptions (65) than touchdowns (59). At some point, the blinders have to be taken off, and fans need to see that perhaps Carr just wasn't worthy of the number one overall pick in the 2002 draft. Bringing in a QB who has more INTs than TDs smacks of Miami's previous failed signal-callers like A.J. Feeley (11 TD/15 INT), Brian Griese (5 TD/6 INT), and most recently Joey Harrington (12 TD/15 INT w/Miami, 72 TD/77 INT for his career). It should be obvious to everyone, that a QB who exhibits this extreme inefficiency is not a viable option as a starter. Miami's offense stalls enough as it is without having to endure more turnovers than touchdowns. No team can consistently win with that kind of production. "Losing out" on Carr is not a problem for Miami.

Another "problem" that has recently arisen is Cleveland's entry into the market for Trent Green. The way I look at it, Green will end up in one of two places for the 2007 season - Kansas City or Miami. Writers are saying that Cleveland's interest in Green is providing Kansas City with leverage over Miami. That's not true. Green does not want to play in Cleveland. He wants to play in Miami. Because of this, he can refuse to negotiate his $7.2 million base salary if he is traded to Cleveland. That means that one of three things will happen:

1. Miami trades for Green.
2. Miami waits for Green to be released and signs him as a free agent. Miami won't need to worry about competition for Green's services in free agency if Green's stated desire to play in Miami remains true.
3. Miami does not engineer a trade for Green, and Kansas City decides to keep him.

At this point, I highly doubt that Kansas City retains Green. Thus, the best strategy for Miami is to just wait it out. The front office has shown an incredible patience so far this offseason, and there's no reason to change that now. Play the waiting game and force Kansas City to part ways with Green without having to give up a draft pick. It's not a big cause for concern that Green may have to miss time with Miami's offense in this scenario because he already has a good grasp of it, having played under Terry Shea in Kansas City. If, for some reason, Miami finds it necessary to trade a draft pick for Green, they shouldn't go any higher than a sixth-rounder. The team doesn't have a fifth-rounder in the 2007 draft, and a fourth-rounder is far too much to give up in return for a soon-to-be 37-year old. Kansas City GM Carl Peterson is crazy if he thinks Green is worth a second-round pick at this point in his career.

And let us make no mistake. Acquiring a QB in the draft should be Miami's top priority in terms of that position. Swinging a trade for Green should in no way hamper Miami's ability to select one of the top rated passers in the draft. Miami will be doing its due diligence this week when it meets with top prospects JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. While it seems certain that Russell will be long-gone by the time Miami makes its selection, there remains a distinct possibility that Quinn will either fall to Miami at 9, or to the point where Miami would be willing to trade up in order to select him. If GM Randy Mueller thinks he can use the pick that would otherwise have been sent to Kansas City for Green to move up and take Brady Quinn then he should hold on to that pick. While getting Quinn at No. 9 would be the best possible situation in the first round, Drew Stanton and Trent Edwards remain possibilities for a first-day selection.

Staying in line with the general theme of this article, there is far too much overreaction concerning the announcement that Daunte Culpepper will not fully participate in the team's first minicamp next weekend. This is just good sense. Look what happened when Nick Saban forced Culpepper to start last season far before his knee was ready. We should be happy that the team is acting cautiously with this situation. There's no dire need for Culpepper to fully take part in minicamps. If he isn't prepared to participate by training camps and the preseason, then there may be a legitimate cause for concern - but not just yet. Take solace in the fact that Daunte is running (albeit not at top speed) and making every effort humanly possible to get healthy again and take over the reigns of the Dolphins offense. Until he proves otherwise, I consider Culpepper a part of this team's future. Perhaps the team brings in Green to start the season and lets Culpepper continue to get stronger or drafts a QB and lets Cleo Lemon start the season. Either way, the team cannot give up on Culpepper yet.

Draft prospect visits continue; Carr also expected to visit

Miami continues to interview and hold workouts for prospective draft picks. Recent meetings include:

• Michigan State QB Drew Stanton as well as University of Miami TE Greg Olsen, LB Jon Beason and WR Ryan Moore had workouts this week with the team.
• Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn and WR Rhema McKnight will have a private workout with Miami on April 10.
• Northwestern G Ryan Keenan interviewed.

The team is currently working on a contract extension with C Rex Hadnot.

QB David Carr is expected to make a free-agent visit to Miami. No date has been set yet.

Sources: Miami Herald, KFFL

Jason Allen's Dual Role: A Gift, Not A Curse

Dolphins GM Randy Mueller recently said that Jason Allen will see playing time at both the cornerback and safety position this season. The sixteenth overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, most people believed that Allen was selected to solely to fill the free safety position. He did see limited time at cornberback during the preseason, but a holdout from training camp coupled with a steep rookie learning curve set him at a distinct disadvantage throughout the season. During the regular-season, Allen played mostly on special teams and as a reserve safety.

In the wake of Mueller's statement, many people have quickly denounced Allen as a bust, arguing that he isn't filling the need that the team drafted him for and that the coaches are struggling to fit him into two positions. They say this is happening because he cannot excel at either safety or cornerback, and thus he can only be average at best. The fact is that Allen played both cornerback and safety in college, and he even preferred playing corner. In the limited game action he saw last year, he was able to show glimpses of what seems to be significant potential.

It must also be noted that at this point, the safety position seems to be in relatively good shape. That was not the case, however, at the beginning of last season. Renaldo Hill turned out to be one of the biggest surprises in the secondary as he stepped up and became the most consistent player in the whole unit. Also, after Travares Tillman was finally benched in favor of Yeremiah Bell, the team finally found a legitimate play-maker in the secondary. With Hill at FS and Bell at SS, maybe there isn't that strong of a need to force Allen into one of those positions. Cornerback presents a much more cloudy picture, and Allen's use in that department may very well help the team at a position of greater need. Among Will Allen, Andre Goodman, and Travis Daniels, the team has three solid corners, but no one standout player. Will Allen will most likely lock down one starting corner position, and given the reps in training camp, perhaps Jason Allen could push for the opposite starting corner. Although that situation seems unlikely, even if Jason found his way into the rotation as the team's nickel-back, he would still see significant playing time.

The most important point to consider, however, is one that ESPN writer Len Pasquarelli writes about in his recent article - versatility in the secondary is the newest defensive trend, one that teams will need to heed if they want to succeed. He writes:

A priority for every defense now is a safety with some cornerback-type cover skills, a guy who can move out and take on a wide receiver aligned in the slot. And coaches are again seeking cornerbacks who can come up in press coverage and play man-to-man.

He mentions the increase in no-huddle offenses and audibles at the line of scrimmage force defensive units to make due without many substitutions. In this type of game, a defensive player with versatility who can easily play multiple positions becomes a counteracting force. With Jason Allen's ability to play both safety and corner, the Dolphins would have the ability to adjust on the fly without having to substitute for him. So, even if Jason Allen doesn't emerge as a starter this season at either safety or cornerback, his ability to be the third safety in the rotation as well as seeing time at corner will be an important asset for this team. Don't write him off yet as a bust. Let's remember that he is merely entering his second season in the NFL. He has shown some exceptional athletic abilities and his role as a starter will eventually come. For now, the versatility he provides must be appreciated rather than criticized as a defect.

Bittersweet Sendoff: Mare to Saints

K Olindo Mare has been traded to the New Orleans Saints for their sixth-round (199th overall) pick in the 2007 draft. While a sixth-round pick may seem insignificant, the front office did an amazing job of getting any value at all, let alone something more than a 7th-round pick, for a player that was sure to be cut before the season began. The Saints must believe that other teams would get in on the bidding action if Mare were to be released outright.

Mare has always been one of my favorite Dolphins, partly for his strong decade of service to the same team and partly for his booming leg. One Dolphins moment that I will never forget was Mare's last-second game-winning field goal in snowy Denver to bring Miami's record to 5-1. A more recent memory was in 2005 when Mare was racing down the field (and as an aside, Olindo always seemed to have exceptional speed for a place-kicker) on a kickoff and managed to recover a fumble in the middle of a pile of bodies. His effort for this team can never be questioned. I'll miss you, Olindo. Good luck in the future.

Check out this article for a little more Olindo reminiscing.

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With the addition of the Saints' pick, the Dolphins draft pick pool now looks as such:

DAY ONE
Round 1 (9 overall)
Round 2 (40)
Round 2 (60, from New England)
Round 3 (71)

DAY TWO
Round 4 (108)
Round 6 (181)
Round 6 (199, from New Orleans)
Round 7 (219)
Round 7 (238, from New England)

Preseason Schedule Announced

The 2007 preseason slate of games has been announced, and as usual Miami will be staying close to home. This will allow the team to avoid any unnecessary and lengthy traveling during the exhibition period. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, August 11 @ 7:30 P.M. EST
HOME vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Thursday, August 16 @ 8 P.M. EST
AWAY vs. Kansas City Chiefs
(this game will be nationally televised on ESPN)

Saturday, August 25 @ 7:30 P.M. EST
HOME vs. Tampa Bay Bucanneers

Thursday, August 30 @ 8:00 P.M. EST
AWAY vs. New Orleans Saints

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The release of the regular-season schedule, originally set for April 5, has been delayed. It will now be released sometime between April 9 and April 19.

It's no April Fool's - Big Daddy trade voided

Well, the news in Dolphins-land has been slow lately to say the least. But there is some good news - it's now April and that means less than a month left until the Raiders go on the clock with the first pick in the NFL Draft. Draft analysis should really start picking up soon, and I will be covering the players who could potentially land in Miami.

As far as news goes, Dan "BIg Daddy" Wilkinson's trade to the Denver Broncos has been voided as a result of him not showing up to take a physical. The Broncos now retain their sixth-round pick that would have been sent to Miami in the deal. Miami retains the rights of Wilkinson. Unfortunately, it's probable that Wilkinson will retire. He showed his laziness last offseason by not signing a deal with Miami until the end of training camps. This guy wants to be paid the big bucks, but only on his terms. I can only imagine the dread that he must have felt over the prospect of going through training camps in the thin air of Denver. That would have been one large man sucking a lot of wind.

Maybe he thinks he's good enough to simply skip offseason training; after all, he was the number one overall pick in the draft. Only that was in 1994. Now he's a 34-year old, 13-year veteran who only mustered 14 tackles and zero sacks in 10 games last season. It's a shame that Miami couldn't get the draft pick for Wilkinson. Even if he doesn't retire, I can't see him staying on with the Dolphins. They re-signed DT Keith Traylor who is far superior, and they have young depth on the defensive line that should get an opportunity to show their ability. If the team decides to cut him, don't be surprised to see Denver sign him without having to give up a draft pick.