Friday, July 27, 2007
Shutting It Down
Monday, July 23, 2007
Soi Signed
Dolphins add defensive lineman Brian Soi
Monday | July 23, 2007by George Richmond
The Dolphins officially announced the signing of free agent defensive lineman Brian Soi on Monday, a move first reported on the FinHeaven Forums nearly two weeks ago.The Dolphins attended Soi's workout in Provo, Utah on July 7. As noted above, his rumored agreement with the Dolphins surfaced hours after he went unselected in the supplemental draft.
Soi, 22, was a third-team freshman All-American in 2005, his only season at Utah State.
After failing to qualify academically at BYU, he spent the 2003 season Hargrave Military Academy, where he registered 10 sacks in 8 games. In 2004, he transfered to Utah State but was ruled academically ineligible.
Finally getting on the field in 2005, Soi racked up 31 tackles (7.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 11 games at defensive end. He also blocked a kick.
In 2006, academics once again kept Soi off the field. The 6-3, 317-pounder finally declared for the NFL's supplemental draft after being declared academically ineligible for the 2007 season.
Mormino signs: Updating previous reports, sixth round pick Drew Mormino signed his four-year deal on Monday.
Beck Signed
Dolphins ink quarterback Beck to four-year deal
Monday | July 23, 2007by George Richmond
The Dolphins secured their future at quarterback Sunday night, signing second round pick John Beck to a four-year contract. John Clayton reports Beck's deal is a thee-year deal with an option that will give him $2.25 million in guaranteed money.
Only four second round picks in the entire NFL have signed with their respective teams. Beck and center Samson Satele, chosen 60th overall, makeup half that number.
Beck's deal leaves WR/KR Ted Ginn, Jr. Miami's lone unsigned draft pick. However, the team and agent Neil Cornich are close to a deal and are working hard to get it done before Tuesday, when rookies camp gets into full swing.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Sorry For No News
Its an NFL Draft Site and if you want to help contact me at yboord028@aol.com
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Not Good...
Culpepper deserves better than this
By GREG COTE
gcote@MiamiHerald.com
The Dolphins' handling of Daunte Culpepper a year ago was bad enough -- ill-fated coach Nick Saban blindly wishing and allowing his mending quarterback into action before he was physically ready.
The Dolphins' handling of Culpepper under new coach Cam Cameron has been worse. Much. Bungled every which way.
We'd have thought it impossible for Saban to look good by comparison under any circumstance, but he does in this instance if only from the magnitude of wrong in the way Culpepper has been treated by the new administration.
It has been senseless from start to acrimonious end.
It has been grossly unfair to Culpepper.
It has levied a public relations mess upon the franchise.
It has worked on team chemistry like battery acid on flesh.
It has defied logic in terms of trying to make this team better.
We've questioned and doubted only one other major move of the Cameron regime: drafting receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr. over quarterback Brady Quinn. In that case we'd at least admit it cannot be known for sure how wise or dumb that choice was until each man's NFL future has begun to define itself.
In this case we needn't wait to suggest the club's mishandling of Culpepper merits reproach on all fronts.
There was no surprise whatever in Tuesday's development in the saga -- the NFL Players Association filing a grievance against the Dolphins on behalf of Culpepper.
Leave it to the lawyers to figure out whether Culpepper's contract was violated when, on Friday, he reportedly was not permitted to practice with the team even after his and the club's doctors had cleared him physically to do so.
No law degree is required, though, to know the Dolphins would lose any grievance if the charge was a lack of simple fairness.
Culpepper has done enough in this league -- averaged 26 touchdown passes in his five healthy seasons -- to have merited at least a chance to win the starting job.
He has sweated enough in his arduous rehabilitation from his Oct. 30, 2005 injury to have damn well earned that chance.
Isn't competition at a position what makes teams better?
So why wouldn't you invite competition at your most important position?
Why would you hand the job to a man, in Trent Green, turning 37 and coming off a concussion-ruined season rather than make it an open battle between him and a man, in Culpepper, who is much younger, of a stronger arm, and so keenly motivated to prove all of his doubters wrong?
It's an affront to logic.
Maybe that's partly why FoxSports.com, in its new NFL rankings that put the Dolphins 27th of 32, calls Miami ``one of the more curious teams in the league.''
Even presuming Cameron knows more than the rest of us -- such as Green having a better grasp of the playbook, perhaps, or a conviction that Culpepper will never be as mobile as before -- why not see for sure across training camp and into the preseason?
Hey, you might be pleasantly surprised! Culpepper might be close to his near-MVP form of 2004. If not, at least there would have been the appearance of fairness. At least your players would be allowed to feel Culpepper was treated right -- that, in turn, they might be, too, if recovering from a serious injury.
Be assured that veterans on this team, locker room leaders, believe Culpepper deserves a chance. If only they would be brave enough to speak publicly as they have in private. If only the team's NFLPA representative, Jay Feely, had the gumption to say this situation smells -- that a player who toughs through some 20 months of rehabilitation, any player who does, deserves better than Culpepper has gotten.
The quarterback's frustration here is justified. You can understand his wanting his immediate release in lieu of a fair shot. You can even understand his trying to force that by threatening to make a trade all but impossible by refusing to renegotiate his contract.
After the way the Dolphins have treated Culpepper?
Any form of hardball coming back at the club -- the player's public noise, his threat to stop a trade, the grievance filed Tuesday, all of it -- is richly deserved.
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Rookies Impress
Ginn, Satele impress at minicamp
BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD
srothschild@MiamiHerald.com
The Dolphins saw underwhelming performances from several of their 2006 draft picks last season, but after the completion of minicamp Sunday, Cam Cameron had high praise for two rookies -- Ted Ginn and Samson Satele.
Ginn, the ninth pick in the draft, finished his first minicamp, and spent five practices sharing time as a return specialist and wide receiver since Friday. Satele, selected in the second round (60th overall), took snaps as the starting center.
Ginn is about 90 percent healthy after sustaining a foot sprain five months ago, but that didn't slow him. The former Ohio State standout showed speed as a returner, and routinely breezed past the secondary in passing drills.
''He was everything I thought he was and then some,'' Cameron said.
Cameron, who has a rule about not making comparisons, couldn't help but liken Ginn to a star wide receiver he coached as an assistant at the University of Michigan.
He blurted ''Des-,'' before stopping short of saying Desmond Howard, a Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan who went on to become a Super Bowl MVP with the Green Bay Packers in 1996 and a Pro Bowl player in 2000. Cameron relented and said, ``You mean Desmond . . . there are some legit comparisons.''
Cameron said Ginn's ability to handle returning punts and kickoffs in ''tough weather'' is a major plus, as is his prowess on special teams.
''There are a ton of receivers in this league who have no interest in being that punt returner,'' Cameron said.
He also was struck by how Ginn seems to catch the ball ``so effortlessly.''
Cameron characterized Ginn's development at receiver as a ``work in progress.''
Ginn, who has not spent most of his career as a receiver, needs to work on routes and technique.
''We're trying to make it as hard on him as we can,'' Cameron said. ``We're putting him on the line of scrimmage where he can't move. The worst thing we can do for him is to start moving him around and doing all the stuff where he can get free access.''
Cameron said Satele, a former University of Hawaii offensive lineman, demonstrated grit. In the past week, Cameron said Satele had five root canals, something this 6-3, 300-pounder didn't initially reveal.
''He never flinched, never said a word,'' Cameron said. ``I have never been around a guy that practiced a whole practice with one root canal. One thing we know is he is smart and he's tough, which goes a long way at that position. We're very pleased with his progress.''
PORTER ACHING
Linebacker Joey Porter did not participate in Sunday's minicamp because of back spasms, Porter and Cameron said. Porter began the practice icing his right knee -- the same knee he wore a brace on Friday and Saturday.
Cameron said Porter looked ''outstanding'' this weekend and let him rest as a precautionary measure.
NOTABLE
Defensive tackle Chase Page did not practice and rode a bike because of what Cameron characterized as a hamstring tweak.
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Hagan One Year Wiser
Dolphins receiver Hagan one year wiser
Second-year receiver Derek Hagan is displaying his ability in minicamp, and coach Cam Cameron likes what he sees.
BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD
srothschild@MiamiHerald.com
Wide receiver Derek Hagan spent last season as the fourth wide receiver on a Dolphins team that primarily used three. Now, with a new offensive-minded coach and a year of NFL experience, Hagan has a clearer shot at being one of the Dolphins' top three receivers.
During the third day of the Dolphins' final minicamp, Hagan showed glimpses of his talent. Hagan, the Dolphins' third-round pick in the 2006 draft, made several acrobatic catches, including one where he leapt in the back of the end zone and fell backward on a 20-yard pass from Cleo Lemon. For the record, referees ruled the catch out of bounds during a drill, but it had coach Cam Cameron buzzing.
''One thing I noticed about Derek, he can make catches I've never seen before,'' Cameron said Sunday. ``I'm really growing to appreciate Derek, and the reason I say that is if you could pick one guy that I'm on every second of every day it's Derek. I see something in him that I'm not sure he sees in himself.''
UP AND DOWN
Cameron said he's impressed by Hagan's ability to make spectacular catches, but would like to see the former Arizona State star show consistency.
On the play after Hagan's dazzling catch, Lemon threw the same route, but this time it resulted in a drop. Cameron said Hagan's issue is not his hands.
''He'll turn around and drop the one you and I can catch,'' Cameron said.
The solution?
''What do you catch the football with? You catch the ball with your eyes,'' Cameron said. ``Most guys think it's about their hands. Derek just has to be more disciplined at looking the ball. You are not the all-time Pac-10 reception leader if you can't catch a ball.''
As a rookie last year, Hagan played as a reserve in all 16 games, and had 21 receptions for 221 yards and one touchdown.
''I was still learning, every game we had, every practice we had,'' Hagan said.
Cameron said he sees a gem, and that's part of the reason he constantly pushes Hagan to improve. Cameron, a former wide receivers coach at the University of Michigan and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator, has made a point of harping on Hagan during minicamp. He has offered both praise and constructive criticism.
Wide receiver Chris Chambers has noticed a different Hagan this offseason.
HARD WORK
''He's a lot more confident,'' Chambers said. ``He was a rookie last year, and for a receiver usually you don't come along for two or three years. He's worked extremely hard, he has his ups and downs but he always bounces back, and that's what makes him a good player.''
This offseason, Hagan said he has focused on honing his fundamentals, and said he expects to increase his production. He said those gains will come from his work ethic, whether that means arriving at the Dolphins facility before offseason workouts or staying afterward to reach 1,000 catches a day.
Hagan showed promise with the Dolphins almost a year ago. He had a strong training camp and competed to be the No. 3 receiver, but that role went to Wes Welker, who led the Dolphins' wide receivers with 67 catches. In his first five games, Hagan had only two receptions.
''When you're coming in as a rookie you're working hard, but the coaches expect you to drop off sooner or later,'' Hagan said.
``I thought I was all right, but things didn't go as well as we wanted.''
Even his high points, Hagan said, seemed meaningless because of the team's offensive struggles, and also its 6-10 record.
He caught a career-high six receptions for 66 yards against the Jets on Oct. 15 in a three-point loss.
The next week against Green Bay, he had five catches for 53 yards and scored his first touchdown on a Joey Harrington pass. That, too, seemed like a footnote.
''I was happy but we still lost the game, so it didn't matter that I scored,'' Hagan said. ``We still lost, I wasn't thinking about my touchdown, I was thinking about losing to the Green Bay Packers.''
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NFLPA
NFLPA to file grievance against Dolphins
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Daunte Culpepper saga is about to get the feel of a legal drama.
The NFL Players' Association said Monday it will file a grievance against the Miami Dolphins on behalf of quarterback Daunte Culpepper by the end of the week - possibly by Tuesday morning.
Richard Berthelsen, the union's general counsel, said the NFLPA will argue that the Dolphins violated the terms of Culpepper's contract when they told him Friday that he would not be allowed to practice with the team.
"The first paragraph of the player contract says, 'Club employs player as a skilled football player,'" Berthelsen said. "A club that refuses to allow a player to practice is not letting them do their job "The situation is just not right. They are, in effect, breaching his contract by refusing to employ him. He either has a right to be employed there or elsewhere and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that result occurs." Both the Dolphins and the NFL said they will have no comment until the grievance is filed.
Since the Dolphins have just two off-season practices left this week, Culpepper's only hope is that the grievance will be heard and ruled on by the time training camp begins in late July.
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Monday, June 11, 2007
Defient
Culpepper remains defiant over trade
BY DAVID J. NEAL
dneal@MiamiHerald.com
Daunte Culpepper's relationship with the Dolphins grew worse as the team would not allow him to take part in any minicamp drills.
Daunte Culpepper, unwanted now that he's finally medically cleared to practice, was told he couldn't do any drills and walked off the field.
Trent Green, whose leadership skills were roundly extolled by teammates, said he was a follower on his first day as the new kid on the block.
Meanwhile, coach Cam Cameron wouldn't discuss the quarterback situation because the team was working on a trade Culpepper said he wouldn't accept.
You couldn't say the Culpepper-Green Quarterback Saga didn't make Friday much more interesting than the typical minicamp day of big men in helmets and no pads.
''I will not agree to any trade,'' Culpepper said. ``If I'm traded, ultimately my contract has to be restructured and I will not restructure it.''
Culpepper said he has had conversations with NFL teams but didn't elaborate on which ones.
Culpepper said that about an hour after leaving the field, with a half hour left in practice, and about 20 minutes after Cameron said general manager Randy Mueller was working on trading Culpepper. The Dolphins spent most of Thursday making calls about Culpepper but had not drawn any interest.
GETTING ACQUAINTED
As for Green, he just tried to fit in on his first day.
''Today, I didn't really know the routine in practice,'' Green said. ``[Quarterbacks coach] Terry [Shea] and I covered it a little bit in a meeting, how the flow of things was going to go, what the rotation was going to be like. I kind of just followed along. Once I get the hang of that, then you can be more assertive.''
Green said he and Culpepper talked before practice, but mostly about knees. Culpepper ripped up his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, and cartilage Oct. 30, 2005. Green did the same to his left knee in 1999 while with St. Louis.
''We stayed away from the other stuff,'' Green said.
According to Culpepper, the coaching staff put ''the other stuff'' out there for full team consumption Friday morning.
''I was told this morning in front of the whole team, at the team meeting that I won't be here,'' Culpepper said. ``I wasn't able to really participate in anything in practice today. When I was told it, I thought I would at least be able to do some one-on-ones because I said before, I was going to come here to test my knee out, get a good feel of how I feel.''
All appeared fine as the five quarterbacks -- the two former Pro Bowlers plus Cleo Lemon, 2007 second-round pick John Beck and free agent Gibran Hamdan -- went through pitch-and-catch drills early in practice.
Then, the team split into seven-on-nine drills on the north field and passing drills on the south field. Lemon and Green went with most of the players over to the north field while the other three quarterbacks stayed on the south field.
Suddenly, as Green worked with the second-team offense in the seven-on-nine drills, Culpepper started off the south field. As he crossed onto the north field, he turned and shouted something over his left shoulder with his left arm spread wide.
NO REPS FOR DAUNTE
''I was told right before the one-on-ones that I wouldn't get any reps, by my quarterbacks coach, which was a message from somebody above him,'' Culpepper said.
''I just thought maybe that was routine,'' Green said. ``From what I understand, he's mainly been doing the individual stuff not the team stuff. Once the individual stuff was done, I figured he was just going to rehab.''
As Culpepper crossed the west end of the north field, he was met by Dolphins security chief Stu Weinstein. The two walked toward the locker room. A shout of ''Daunte!'' from the stands drew a look and wave from Culpepper. Weinstein went into the locker room, and he came out, Culpepper entered and went to the weight room.
''I'm done with the on-the-field stuff,'' Culpepper said. ``I tested my knee, I did what I wanted to do. I've still got a ways to go; that's why I'm going to continue to physically rehab my knee and continue to get myself in the best shape possible.''
Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday called Culpepper ''a class guy, a class act,'' and predicted Culpepper will again be an upper-crust player. Holliday also had good words for Green, with whom he shared a sideline in Kansas City.
''[Green is] a guy who's really respected by his teammates, as well as peers throughout the league,'' Holliday said. ``Probably one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks over the last decade. A guy who comes in and is a leader. We need that right now. It's great to have a quarterback who's healthy so our offense can start to jell.''
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Green's Team?
It's Trent Green's team now
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@MiamiHerald.com
Take a deep breath because Friday's bedlam surely was enough activity to leave anyone thoroughly winded.
There was the trade to move Daunte Culpepper the Dolphins were trying to make, which was not completed before the erstwhile quarterback coaxed his way onto the practice field for the first time in six months, then followed that surprise appearance with a dramatic walk off the field after only 60 minutes, which was followed by him saying he was lied to and that he would not accept any trade.
It was a soap opera in cleats and it pretty much involved every player on the Dolphins roster, seeing as Culpepper said coaches announced his pending end of days with Miami in front of the entire squad during a morning meeting.
But amid all the drama surrounding Culpepper and the coming collision between his desire to be released and the team's desire to trade him, it should be noted the Dolphins accomplished one significant thing.
They settled their quarterback position.
It doesn't matter that Culpepper is still casting a shadow over this franchise. It doesn't matter that Cleo Lemon was still taking the first-team snaps. It doesn't even matter whether Paris Hilton is in or out of jail.
MAIN POINT
All that matters is that Trent Green was on the field for the first time, and he's going to be Miami's starting quarterback in 2007.
Worry about Culpepper's fate, if you like. Worry about uncertainty at some other position, if you must. But quarterback?
No worries for now.
Cam Cameron, the Sherpa picked to guide Miami to the offensive mountaintop, wasn't feeling great about the quarterback position a few days ago.
Asked Friday if the change in personnel has changed his mind, Cameron responded with an emphatic, ``Yes.''
''Anytime you are fortunate -- and let's realize how fortunate we now are to have a proven winner who is a veteran as a part of our team -- I think that can be nothing but a plus,'' Cameron said. ``Why? You know what I believe. It's a leadership position. It starts with that. It's a toughness position. It's a mental position. Everything is gravy after that. And [Green has] exhibited over an extended period of time those characteristics.''
Green, in his familiar No. 10, didn't exactly take over in his first practice. He doesn't know all his teammates and hasn't really bonded with any of them. He's also filling in the missing pieces of the offensive system because Cameron has changed approximately ''10 to 15 percent'' of the scheme's terminology since he and Green last worked together in 1996.
But it will not take long before Green is the star and leader of Miami's offense.
''I think there's great potential for this offense,'' Green said. ``This is an offense I've been in my whole career so I believe in this system. I know it can work. I know that there are ways to have success in this offense by putting guys in position to have success.
``And that is something that Cam and I have communicated about.''
That doesn't mean there aren't questions to be answered. Green soon will be 37 years old and would have to be a physical marvel to have his latter days surpass his former. He also won't have the benefit of playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL as he did in Kansas City.
But none of that will keep him from succeeding more than any Miami quarterback has since Dan Marino retired.
UPGRADE AT QB
Green is today a more talented quarterback than gritty Jay Fiedler or goofy A.J. Feeley. He is more accurate than inconsistent Gus Frerotte. He is a known quality, which Sage Rosenfels still is not. And, despite his concussion of a season ago, Green is still a lower injury risk than Culpepper.
Cameron says there is nothing Green cannot do now that he could do four or five years ago, when, incidentally, Green was starting a run of three consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons.
And that little issue of protection?
Green thinks Miami's unsettled line will nonetheless be good enough to help him succeed.
''I think so,'' he said. ''If you look at San Diego's offense the last couple of years, you don't have that Willie Roaf or Will Shields type -- the perennial 10- or 11-year Pro Bowl players,'' he said. ``You had guys that are still making names for themselves. I think it's been proven that you can have success with unproven guys and with the scheme, the coaching and obviously with the talent level, there's definitely an [opportunity] for having success on this offense.''
That ultimately is what the Dolphins were trying to do Friday amid the drama -- ensure some level of offensive success in 2007.
To that end, Culpepper walking off the field for the last time after a practice was nothing more than a distraction, while Green walking on the field for the first time was the real attraction.
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