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Shutting It Down

2007-07-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

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Soi Signed

2007-07-23T14:48:00.001-05:00

Dolphins add defensive lineman Brian Soi

Monday | July 23, 2007
by 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

2007-07-23T14:47:00.001-05:00

Dolphins ink quarterback Beck to four-year deal

Monday | July 23, 2007
by 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.

Sorry For No News

2007-07-22T21:23:00.001-05:00

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Not Good...

2007-06-12T20:59:00.001-05:00

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

2007-06-12T14:13:00.001-05:00

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

2007-06-12T14:11:00.001-05:00

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

JOE RIMKUS JR. / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Dolphins receiver Derek Hagan is hoping to build on a 21-catch rookie campaig. Hagan 'can make catches I've never seen before,' according to coach Cam Cameron.

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

2007-06-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

NFLPA to file grievance against Dolphins

By Greg A. Bedard

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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Defient

2007-06-11T14:31:00.001-05:00

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?

2007-06-11T14:28:00.001-05:00

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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Practice Info

2007-06-08T17:50:00.003-05:00

Dolphins WR Ginn practices; tackle Toledo set for surgery

By Alex Marvez
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted June 8 2007, 1:40 PM EDT

DAVIE – Dolphins wide receiver Ted Ginn participated in his first Dolphins minicamp practice on Friday, but the injury news wasn't as good for backup tackle Joe Toledo.

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said Toledo will require surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot. Cameron didn't provide a detailed account of the injury or a timetable for Toledo's expected return.

Cameron said Ginn is "90-plus" percent recovered from a sprained foot that he initially suffered in January while playing at Ohio State. Ginn, who was the No. 9 overall selection in April's draft, worked as the Dolphins' first-team punt returner during this morning's practice and should also see action as the first-team kickoff returner later in the minicamp.

A 2006 fourth-round pick, Toledo spent all of last season on injured reserve with a knee injury but then hurt his foot in December when slipping while stepping out of a hot tub. Toledo was considered a potential starter at guard last season but was shifted earlier this offseason to tackle, which is where he played as a senior at the University of Washington.

Backup tackle Anthony Alabi also missed practice while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery he had in April. Cameron said Alabi is expected to be recovered for the start of training camp in late July.

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Culpepper bites back

2007-06-08T17:50:00.001-05:00

Quarterback hurls criticisms, bemoans team's 'impatience'

In his latest demand to be released, Daunte Culpepper on Thursday publically blamed the Dolphins for the first time.

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

JARED LAZARUS / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper listens to fans heckling him as the final seconds of the game tick off at New England last season.

WEB VOTE

Did the Dolphins make the right move?

In another public demand to be released rather than traded, Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper on Thursday expressed his first public criticism of the organization for its decision to ''rush'' him into action at the start of last season.

''I must say the impatience the organization displayed in both encouraging me to rush back on the field last year and then rushing me out the door this year is disappointing,'' Culpepper said in an e-mail. ``However, I understand that they have the right to make that business decision. It is now my turn to make some decisions.''

Among those decisions, Culpepper has told the team he intends to participate in today's minicamp if he isn't released -- which puts the Dolphins in a tricky situation because they would be responsible for his $5.5 million salary next year if he is injured.

Culpepper delivered a letter to coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller on Thursday in which he wrote that his release would allow him to go through the proper courtship with a potential suitor.

''I feel it is necessary to obtain a release rather than seek a trade so that I would not bring the excess baggage of my present contract to a new team,'' Culpepper said. ``I feel like my next team should have the opportunity to get to know me as a man and a player before they make any long-term commitment.''

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions could be the most intriguing destinations for Culpepper. A trade, however, has not yet been completed, although his release could come as soon as today.

The Dolphins did grant Culpepper, who acts as his own agent, permission to speak to other teams. He did not acknowledge whether he had indeed begun marketing himself.

Culpepper's criticism of the Dolphins comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering that he often spoke anxiously last year about hoping for the opportunity to play as soon as possible. After four games, former coach Nick Saban decided the team had made the wrong decision by starting him, replacing Culpepper with Joey Harrington.

However, now Culpepper has clearly grown tired of the antics of the organization where he spent just one year.

''Even though it is frustrating, I had prepared myself for the possibility that I would not be given an opportunity to compete here since the week before this year's NFL Draft,'' Culpepper said. ``At that time it became obvious to me that my desire to compete would not trump established relationships.''

SOLIAI SIGNS

The Dolphins signed the sixth of their 10 draft picks, with defensive tackle Paul Soliai (fourth round) getting a four-year deal Thursday. Quarterback John Beck, receiver Ted Ginn, center Samson Satele and center Drew Mormino are unsigned.

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Green...

2007-06-08T17:48:00.001-05:00

Green jumping right in

Even though it was only new quarterback Trent Green's first day in South Florida, he still had time to begin watching film.

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo

Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green smiles as he answers questions during a news conference Wednesday after the announcement of a deal in which Miami acquired him from the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round draft pick in 2008.

IF YOU GO

• What: Dolphins Minicamp

• When: Today, Saturday, Sunday

• Times: Today, 10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m.; Saturday, 10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• Admission: Free

• Where: Nova Southeastern University training facility, 7500 S.W. 30th St., Davie

• Directions: Parking for fans for all three days is available at the Nova Southeastern University Medical School garage in Davie, located on the east side of University Drive, just south of S.W. 30th Street. Access to the garage is from either University Drive or S.W. 30th St.

He had been inside his new facility for a few hours by this point, maybe six at the most. Already took his physical. Met a few coaches. Even chatted with a couple of players.

No doubt, during Dolphins quarterback Trent Green's first day in South Florida, he was whisked from one stop to the next with few moments to spare. Surely, Green hadn't had a chance to focus on football yet, right?

''After watching film today,'' Green said during his introductory news conference Wednesday, ``Ronnie [Brown] has a lot better hands than I thought.''

Wait just a second, Trent. Did you just say something about watching film?

''Oh, yeah,'' Green said. ``I've already watched an hour or so of the practices that have been going on the last few days just to kind of get to know my teammates.''

Not exactly the typical new orientation. Then again, Green isn't exactly the typical new player. As a 13-year NFL veteran who has been waiting three long months for his eventual arrival, Green simply doesn't feel much of a need for Orientation 101.

So when the new quarterback takes the field for the first time today at the team's final offseason minicamp at 10:45 a.m., don't expect to see Green looking for any lessons on where to go or what to do.

The situation is simple: Green means go.

''There has been urgency on my part since the Chiefs made it known they didn't want me back,'' Green said. ``So yeah, I've had some urgency for a while.''

It's also clear the Dolphins are just as excited to have Green ready to compete at today's minicamp. Had he not made it into town by this weekend -- or if a deal had gotten done even a day later -- Green might not have had this opportunity.

That said, coach Cam Cameron said the timing was strictly coincidence.

''It's positive that he's here,'' Cameron said. ``We have a minicamp coming up that we had scheduled and a few more [organized team activities]. I think Trent knows he can benefit from those, but had it not worked out this week it could have worked out down the road.''

Yes, Green probably could have afforded to miss this weekend's minicamp, especially as a longtime veteran in the league. Not to mention, he's already familiar with quarterbacks coach Terry Shea from his stint in Kansas City -- and Cameron from an earlier stint in Washington.

''It's probably about 80-85 percent the same terminology,'' Green said. 'It's all the same offense. It's like how part of the country calls it `soda' and part of it calls it 'pop.' ''

Though Green was unable to study a Dolphins playbook in Kansas City -- even when it appeared his arrival was inevitable -- he was able to occasionally talk to Shea about what to expect.

'Terry had just expressed to me, `Trent, you are not going to have a problem when you get here,' '' Green said.

More important, it will be critical for Green to begin connecting with his wide receivers, especially Chris Chambers. Because of the constant carousel at quarterback in Miami, it has been difficult for the team's star wide receiver to ever grow comfortable with a quarterback.

That chemistry will be critical to the success of Green, Chambers -- and ultimately, the Dolphins' record next season.

''I think the potential is great,'' Green said. ``Chris Chambers obviously has been to a Pro Bowl and has played at very high level. I've known Chris for a couple of years.''

And now, he'll get to throw to him, too. Throws that Green can't wait to make.

''I'm just excited to be down here,'' Green said. ``I'm looking forward to the minicamp this weekend, getting to know my teammates and get to be a part of something really special.''

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Culpepper News

2007-06-08T17:46:00.001-05:00

Culpepper not allowed to compete

BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD AND DAVID J. NEAL

srothschild@MiamiHerald.com

Daunte Culpepper addressed his situation with the Dolphins after Friday morning's mini-camp practice, saying, ``I definitely expect to be released. I will not be traded.

''I will not agree to any trade,'' he said. ``If I'm traded, ultimately my contract has to be restructured and I will not restructure it.''

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said he could not comment on Culpepper's situation because general manager Randy Mueller was working on a possible trade and didn't want to jeopardize discussions.

Culpepper said the Dolphins told him during a meeting in front of the whole team Friday morning he had no future with the team and would not be able to participate in practice, other than individual drills, even though he was medically cleared. Culpepper did some running on the practice field, but was reduced to a spectator as new quarterback Trent Green, Cleo Lemon and rookie John Beck took snaps with the offense.

Culpepper left the field about midway through practice. As he left the practice field, he was accompanied by Stu Weinstein, the Dolphins security chief.

''I was told I couldn't participate in anything besides individual [drills] or my rehab,'' said Culpepper, who did get a chance to do some individual passing drills. ``I came in and just got in the weight room and worked out.''

When seven-on-nine drills started on the north field with quarterbacks Lemon and Green working with the first two teams, Culpepper suddenly left the passing drills on the south field. While crossing the end of the north field not being used, Culpepper yelled something over his left shoulder toward the remaining group on the south field.

As Weinstein went into the locker room, Culpepper waved at a fan who shouted, ''Daunte!'' then talked with two people standing in the friends and family section. Weinstein exited the locker room and Culpepper went into the locker room, apparently finished for the day.

According to a Dolphins spokesman, Culpepper just needed to get into the locker room, the locker room was locked and Weinstein was needed to open it.

Culpepper this week began campaigning for his release after being told the Dolphins planned to trade him elsewhere. Because he's under contract, on the roster and medically cleared to practice, the Dolphins must let him participate in minicamp and risk him suffering an injury, thus staying on the Dolphins payroll.

For the morning session, helmets were worn but no pads. First round pick Ted Ginn, wearing No. 19, also practiced.

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Ginn Dissapointing

2007-06-08T14:02:00.001-05:00

Ginn practices, faces scrutiny from veterans

By Greg A. Bedard and Edgar Thompson

Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Friday, June 08, 2007

Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn Jr., whose selection with the ninth overall pick in the recent NFL Draft upset many fans - and, reportedly, some veteran players - practiced with the team for the first time Thursday and will participate in the mini-camp that starts today.

Ted Ginn Sr. said his son, who has been recovering from a sprained left foot that he suffered in the BCS title game Jan. 8, is healthy and worked out under the supervision of the Dolphins' medical staff.

Ginn Sr. stopped short of saying that his son, a star at Ohio State who was injured in the title game against Florida, is ready to participate fully in workouts.

"I don't know anybody that is 100 percent after being off for five months," said Ginn Sr., a high school football coach in Cleveland.

Ginn Jr.'s return to practice coincided with the publication on the Internet of a story that said Dolphins defensive veterans Vonnie Holliday and Jason Taylor were stunned by Ginn's selection. That Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn was available added to the surprise, the story said.

Holliday, a defensive tackle, said his comments were misconstrued.

"I was by no means trashing our pick; that's not what I was doing," he said. "I'm not trashing the Dolphins, I'm not trashing the (front-office personnel) and what they do. That's not my job and I wasn't doing that in my comments."

In the story on SI.com headlined, "Dolphins veterans puzzled by decision to draft Ginn," Holliday was quoted as saying: "With the ninth pick they took a guy who is basically a kick returner - a hurt kick returner. Here we are in June, and he hasn't been in camp yet. Maybe he'll come in eventually and become a better route-runner and make some plays. But I couldn't believe it then, and I can't believe it now."

Holliday said he made those comments but that they were "thrown together to make it sound" like he was unhappy. He said he was only trying to say he understood the frustration of fans who booed coach Cam Cameron after the pick was made.

"My comments were definitely not characterized correctly," Holliday said. "That's not the kind of guy I am. ... I've never been that kind of guy and I'm not about to be that guy."

Even if Ginn had not been injured, NFL rules would have prevented him from practicing before Thursday, when Ohio State completed final exams.

Holliday did concede that Ginn will be scrutinized closely by the veterans. But he said that would be true for most top-10 draft choices.

"When you're drafting those guys, you want them to be impact players," Holliday said. "Ginn, he has pressure and he's going to have pressure because he's the ninth pick and because of the whole quarterback situation."

The Dolphins on Tuesday acquired quarterback Trent Green and will move on without Daunte Culpepper. Miami drafted John Beck in the second round to be groomed as a starter.

"Hopefully, Beck and this draft class will live up to all their hype," Holliday said.

Ginn Sr. said neither he nor his son minded Holliday's comments.

"Being a coach and being in athletics, I don't know anybody who's proven until he's proven," Ginn Sr. said. "I don't know anyone who came in with nothing to prove."

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Will he Help?

2007-06-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

SKOLNICK: Vet's value will be as willing mentor to Beck

Published June 7, 2007

DAVIE · The new No. 10 faced his first difficult Dolphins assignment Wednesday, one that rivaled the challenge of lifting this offense to respectability.

Trent Green has proven he can throw a post pattern.

Try naming the 10 Dolphins quarterbacks who have started since Dan Marino retired.

"Uh, Damon Huard ... "

"Uh, Jay Fiedler ..."

Pause.

"I know Gus [Frerotte] was in there. Let's see, um, Daunte [Culpepper] and Joey Harrington. Cleo [Lemon] started a game last year. A.J. Feeley start any in there?"

Eight. Regrettably. He, and Dolphins fans, have the scars to show for it.

"Do I have them all? No?"

No.

Green missed Ray Lucas, Brian Griese, Sage Rosenfels.

Dolphins fans hardly miss any of them.

So you don't need to celebrate this move, just understand it.

Green won't win any Super Bowls during his one or two or three seasons here, not with a still-developing roster and an approaching 37th birthday.

Forget that fantasy.

Rather, this is about a quarterback providing stability so a coach quickly can establish credibility, as Frerotte did for Nick Saban before Saban botched his second act.

This is about comfort: Cam Cameron traded in hot coals for plush slippers.

Most coaches don't win championships early in their tenures. They can lose the commitment of a team and confidence of a community. They can lose their jobs.

Green, who called this "a fresh start," gives Cameron a fair shot at a good start. The Dolphins are betting on him as a player, sure, but moreso as a steady leadership presence. For an organization with a history of buying the Brooklyn Bridge, Green represents a serviceable bridge to the John Beck era.

Cameron has had a "special relationship" with Green for a dozen years, coming to admire his "resolve and toughness." Daunte Culpepper has shown teammates his own resolve during his rehabilitation, but Cameron's lack of comfort with the former All-Pro has been clear since his hiring. It was particularly transparent at the scouting combine in February, when Cameron listed leadership and decision-making as the paramount quarterbacking characteristics, trumping physical attributes. You know, the skills that a healthy Culpepper offers in abundance.
Without the coach's faith, how could this have worked?

So it is pointless to wonder what Culpepper would have done with another Dolphins chance, or to worry whether he might excel elsewhere. What matters is the unlikelihood of him accomplishing much in this environment.

It is foolish to argue that the Dolphins needed to keep Culpepper because the previous regime squandered a second-rounder for him. If you buy a furnished condo, that shouldn't preclude you from replacing the couches, whether they're ratty or simply not your style.

It is silly to stress about the fourth-rounder Kansas City will get if Green takes 70 percent of the snaps.

Green will be worth more than that pick if he accomplishes two things.

First, give his teammates a reason to believe (and work) every week. Out of post-Marino quarterbacks, only Fiedler inspired any real faith in fellow players, out of respect for his toughness rather than regard for his limited skills. Frerotte earned appreciation late in his only season.

Second, set the right example for John Beck.

Green's comportment toward the rookie is more critical than his completion percentage. Green said that, while he wouldn't "hold his hand," he would answer all questions and show him how to prepare. That's plenty. Many young quarterbacks succeed without a nurturing mentor (ask Joe Theismann about Billy Kilmer and Sonny Jurgensen), but the right relationship never hurts.

Wednesday, Green entered the Dolphins' quarterback picture.

No. 10 in your program.

No. 11 since Marino.

Someday, in a year or two or three, he will exit. What is reasonable to dream? That, when he does, emerging star John Beck will fondly recall lessons learned from the last quarterback to precede him.

Ethan J. Skolnick can be reached at eskolnick@sun-sentinel.com

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Green Introduced

2007-06-07T14:42:00.001-05:00

Miami introduces Trent Green, likely ending the Culpepper era

The Dolphins welcomed Trent Green as their new quarterback, and Daunte Culpepper likely will be released or traded before this weekend's minicamp.

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff

The Dolphins introduced their newest quarterback, Trent Green, at a press conference on Wednedsay. 'You're not going to find anybody to replace Dan Marino. I'm not trying to fill anybody else's shoes,' said Green.

The challenge sounded simple enough: Name each of the quarterbacks who has started a game for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season.

''I think I can name most of them,'' Trent Green said Wednesday, the same day he was introduced as the team's newest quarterback on a long list of those before him.

He got Damon Huard right. And Jay Fiedler and Gus Frerotte. Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington, of course. Cleo Lemon, too.

''Did A.J. Feeley start any in there?'' Green correctly asked. ``Do I have them all now?''

Three more to go, new guy. Don't forget Ray Lucas, Sage Rosenfels and Brian Griese.

''Yeah,'' said Green, finally tired of the game despite an impressive effort. ``There have been a few.''

No doubt, South Florida's newest sports star has been in the league long enough to understand just how much success Marino had with Miami -- and just how little success came from the 10 quarterbacks after him.

LOOKING FOR WINS

This time, though, Green says he isn't looking to serve as Marino's replacement. Quite simply, as a 13-year veteran, this quarterback isn't looking for anything but wins. And maybe a Super Bowl, of course.

''I'm just going to come out and play the way I know how and lead the way I know how,'' Green said. ``Dan Marino is a Hall of Famer. Bob Griese is a Hall of Famer. I just want to come in, play well, win some games and let the rest of it take care of itself.''

So as the abbreviated Culpepper era nears its inevitable end, Green already began preparations shortly after arriving in South Florida on Wednesday to assume his role as the team's starter.

In the morning, he passed his physical, finalizing the Dolphins' trade with the Chiefs. By his 3 p.m. news conference, he had already watched an hour of tape to help him get acclimated with his new teammates.

On Friday, he'll start his first minicamp.

''We were given the privilege to start talking [about a trade] several weeks ago,'' Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said. ``We started talking about hopefully this day becoming a reality.''

When the Chiefs made it clear weeks ago they had no intentions of starting Green this season, the Dolphins and Green already began work toward a contract. The two sides have agreed to a new deal, but 24 hours must pass after the trade before Green is no longer under contract with the Chiefs.

Green, who will play his first game with the Dolphins at 37, said he has not put any kind of cap on how much longer he can play in the league.

''Whether it's two years, three years, four years, whatever it may be, as long as I feel good and I feel like I'm playing at a high level and I'm contributing to help this team win, I want to keep playing,'' Green said. ``I don't want to put any sort of label on it.''

A TEACHER

Of course, both Green and Cameron openly admit the plan eventually will call for Green to pass the job off to rookie John Beck, who will have the opportunity to learn and develop under one of the league's most experienced quarterbacks.

And that's fine with Green. That said, he has no intentions of simply giving up the job after a year. Nor does Cameron expect him to.

''If a young quarterback is willing to open his eyes and just watch and study, there's nothing like a picture for a young guy to learn from,'' Cameron said. ``And I can't think of a better one.''

On Wednesday, though, the theme had little to do with whom would eventually replace Green. Instead, it had to do with whom Green will replace. For now, he'll attempt to fill the spot vacated by Culpepper.

Nonetheless, every Dolphins fan knows whom he will ultimately be gauged against when his career in Miami comes to a close. It's the same name that has haunted every quarterback's locker since the day each arrived -- whether Green likes it or not.

''You're not going to find anybody to replace Dan Marino,'' Green said. ``I'm not trying to fill anybody else's shoes.''

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Should We?

2007-06-07T14:39:00.001-05:00

It is time to trust Cameron

By ISRAEL GUTIERREZ

igutierrez@MiamiHerald.com

Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff

'We started talking about hopefully this day becoming a reality,' said Dolphins coach Cam Cameron.

New Dolphins quarterback Trent Green had just been asked about the Dolphins offense Wednesday and his answer included the phrase ``the potential is great.''

He went on to list a few of the players who had him so enthused about an offense that he admitted had to ''catch up'' to what the defense has done over the past several years.

He mentioned Chris Chambers. He got out Ronnie Brown's name. Then he went to Lorenzo Booker, a third-round draft pick who hasn't yet played a down for the Dolphins.

And then there was a long silence. The type of uncomfortable, blank pause that can be explained by the fact that he had only been a Miami Dolphin for less than 24 hours at the time, but still was hardly an advertisement for a Dolphins offense that is supposedly poised to be turned around by first-year coach Cam Cameron.

BEST CASE?

It was the type of moment those who remain uninspired by the choice of Cameron as a coach would have jumped all over, mocking the fact that not even the team's probable starting quarterback can make a proper case for why next year's Dolphins offense will be transformed under the guidance of an offensive guru.

In actuality, that lengthy pause was the best case yet for Cameron. Green, the quarterback who spent the past several months doing everything he could to get traded to Miami, couldn't even name a handful of skill players on the team he is about to lead. And yet, he remains supremely confident it will be a productive offense based on one simple concept: Faith.

Faith in a man with a plan.

Faith in a man with a track record.

Faith in a man who had faith in him.

And it's a concept those who don't believe in Cameron might want to grab hold of.

From the moment the Dolphins announced the hiring of Cameron, there was a hesitancy to embrace him. When the Dolphins drafted Ted Ginn ahead of Brady Quinn, there was an overwhelming desire to deck him. And now that he has chosen a soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback over a soon-to-be-healthy Daunte Culpepper, the questions about Cameron are only getting louder.

It's the expected reaction from a fan base that has been burned by coaches who have promised to deliver. But it might be time to take the Trent Green approach and just believe.

Why? Maybe because our opinions have been wrong on every coach so far since Don Shula.

We all figured Jimmy Johnson was the proper successor who would bring the Dolphins a pair of Super Bowls the way he did in Dallas. All he turned in was 36 wins over four disappointing seasons.

We all were lukewarm about Dave Wannstedt succeeding Johnson after his previous head coaching stint featured a disastrous ending with the Bears. All he did was put together a four-year span of 41 wins that this city would take in a heartbeat if it was offered as an option for the next four years.

We were all satisfied when Nick Saban was hired, sold on the idea of a proven winner coming in and fixing a four-win team with discipline and not much else. Do we need to be reminded how that ended?

So now we're damaged and scarred and suffer from commitment issues, and Cameron is feeling the brunt of our distrust. But the suspicion and doubt doesn't make much sense because Cameron is only doing exactly what we've asked of him.

FIXING MISTAKES

We want him to fix the mistakes made by three consecutive defensive-minded coaches. And then we question every move he makes along way?

Is it that hard to believe that one of the most respected and successful offensive coordinators over the past few years actually knows what he's doing?

''There's a talent to putting people in positions to succeed, and Cam has that,'' said Green, who had Cameron as a quarterback coach in Washington more than a decade ago.

Green backed up Cameron by mentioning the success he had building an offensive line in San Diego with pieces that included a rookie left tackle, Marcus McNeill, who started 16 games, and a quality guard in Kris Dielman, whom Green described as a ''street free agent'' before he signed with the Chargers. Green also pointed out Cameron helped turn around Drew Brees when some had lost faith in him, and that before Cam got a hold of him, Antonio Gates ``was a basketball player.''

So it's about time to start trusting Cameron's choices, no matter how large a leap it takes.

Green might not know exactly who will be making the plays that finally have Dolphins fans excited about offense again, but he knows this much: ``I think they need to be excited.''

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Daunte Out before camp?

2007-06-07T14:38:00.001-05:00

Daunte likely out before camp

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

It might be time to install a revolving door at the Dolphins' facility in Davie.

Hours after quarterback Daunte Culpepper left the building for one of his final times Wednesday, quarterback Trent Green arrived as his eventual replacement. Culpepper likely will be released or traded before this weekend's minicamp.

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller informed Culpepper during an early-morning meeting Wednesday that they are ''going in a different direction,'' Culpepper said.

'They would like to trade me in order to `get something for me,' '' Culpepper said in an e-mail Wednesday. ``However, it is my position that I have already been down that road and I am not interested in being traded.''

Whatever happens, Culpepper's one-year career with the Dolphins will soon come to its end.

Culpepper's trade value isn't likely to be very high, considering the team just gave him medical clearance to practice Tuesday.

Cameron was cryptic about his plans for Culpepper on Wednesday, as he attempted several times to deflect the attention during a news conference toward Green's arrival rather than Culpepper's departure.

Cameron and Mueller did not indicate to Culpepper how long they would attempt to shop him, but several reasons likely will lead to quick action.

First, Culpepper is scheduled to earn $5.5 million next season. If he sustains a significant injury during minicamp this weekend, they would be responsible for that payment.

The team could attempt to bar him from participation, but an arbitrator ultimately ruled against such actions last offseason when the Titans attempted to keep former quarterback Steve McNair out of their facility in a similar situation.

Culpepper said he has every intention to work out at the Dolphins' facility, which likely will force the Dolphins to move quickly.

''They have told me throughout the offseason that I am under contract to the Dolphins,'' Culpepper said. ``Therefore, it will be up to them to either keep me under contract or release me. In the meantime I will continue to work out at the facility.''

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Dolphins Have an easy Start?

2007-06-07T14:05:00.001-05:00

Weak schedule sets Dolphins up for a good start

By Danny Dabiri on June 7, 2007 12:00 AM

Permalink | Comments (14) | Email This Article | RSS | [+] More Dolphins News

The NFL is the most popular sports league in the country. A main reason for its popularity derives from the perception that every team has a chance to win on any given Sunday. Parity has become a commonly used word to describe the landscape of the league, and football enthusiasts are well aware that there is no such thing as a sure victory. However, when forecasting the Miami Dolphins ' prospects for the upcoming year, the team's fans should be encouraged by the softness of their first six games.

The schedule-makers have provided head coach Cam Cameron and the Dolphins a good opportunity to get off to a fast start. They open the season on the road against perennial underachievers the Washington Redskins , who were 3-5 at home last season and struggled to put up points under offensive coordinator Al Saunders. If the Dolphins' defense can play well, Miami's offense should be able to control the clock and run the ball effectively against the Redskins' mediocre D-line.

After, the Dolphins host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. The Cowboys were a strong road team last season, winning five games. Much like the Dolphins, Dallas is under new leadership, with Wade Phillips replacing Bill Parcells. Considering Phillips' previous coaching tenures and the fact that the offense is in the hands of the relatively inexperienced Jason Garrett, the Dolphins' opening home game could end in victory.

Miami then visits the Meadowlands in Week 3. The Jets took both games against the Dolphins last season, winning each contest by three points. Every time these division rivals meet, the game is highly competitive and unpredictable.

Miami has the good fortune of hosting the lowly Oakland Raiders in Week 4. The Raiders didn't win a single road game last season; there is no reason to expect much better from this year's version of the silver and black.

The Dolphins came up short in their trip to Houston last season, losing 17-15, and their shot at revenge comes in Week 5. The Texans have a new starting quarterback, as Matt Schaub takes over for David Carr. Much like their previous meeting, it should be a close game with Miami having an opportunity to pull out a win.

Lastly, the highly anticipated matchup between Brady Quinn and the Cleveland Browns against the Dolphins takes place Week 6. Quinn will look to prove that Dolphins management made a mistake passing on him in the first round of last April's draft, assuming he is the starter. The Browns, however, were only 2-6 at home last season, which means Miami has a solid shot at securing a victory.

The Dolphins have an interesting quarterback situation. Miami drafted John Beck in Round 2, re-signed Cleo Lemon , and the team acquired veteran Trent Green from the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round conditional draft pick on Tuesday. Green will most likely be the starter when the season begins. It appears Daunte Culpepper's short tenure in South Florida is about to end.

Miami has a favorable opening schedule. If the team can get the job done with a proven veteran signal-caller, a draft pick with high upside, and a backup who's familiar with the system, then Miami should be over .500 heading into its home Week 7 showdown with division powerhouse New England.

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What Will Cameron Do?

2007-06-06T19:36:00.001-05:00

HYDE: Cameron gets his guy, now what?

Published June 6, 2007

Trent Green seems like a nice enough guy if you've read the dozens of stories out of Kansas City we've been subjected to over the past few months. He's Midwestern-friendly. He's straight-talking. He'll sign autographs for fans all day, if they want.

But as near as I can tell, the Dolphins were intent on gambling next season on the 37-year-old Green and his concussed mind rather than 30-year-old Daunte Culpepper and his bum knee because of one simple, potentially screwy reason:

New coaches choose their guys.

You see it all the time in football. Just look at this trade. Green is new Dolphins coach Cam Cameron's guy, so they reunite in Miami. And Green wasn't second-year Chiefs coach Herm Edwards' guy, so he's out of Kansas City.

Cameron wanted someone he knows, respects, has worked with, has worked with his coaches and -- all together now -- "knows the system" to keep the quarterback position warm until incoming rookie John Beck is ready.

No matter that knowing-the-system is as overrated as apple pie. You don't think any good, veteran quarterback could learn a new system? And shouldn't a 30-year-old like Culpepper who's thrown for 39,000 yards have more potential upside than a 37-year-old whose light is clearly dimming?

Of course, here's the thing: Culpepper doesn't inspire more than a sliver of trust or hope, either. That's the box this new regime inherited. The only quarterback controversy around was whether Cameron and General Manager Randy Mueller could find a quarterback for next year.

It's not just Culpepper's knee. Here's a story: Turns out ESPN's Steve Young was right in reporting how last year's coaches didn't think Culpepper studied the game or worked hard enough. Here's another story: After his latest surgery, Culpepper was required to write a letter of apology to some medical people for how he behaved toward them.

But the larger point to understand is that, if Nick Saban were still coaching here (cross yourself three times), Culpepper would be discussed as a recovered quarterback hungry for a comeback year. In fact, many of the people running interference for Green today would be saying the same for Culpepper.

But just like Saban cleared out Dave Wannstedt's roster, just like Jimmy Johnson turned over Don Shula's roster, Cameron and Mueller are erasing much of Saban's roster. Especially on offense.

In most ways, it's easy to connect the logic in this new regime's thinking, considering the Dolphins ranked 29th in offense last season. They had to do something. And they've done about as much as possible in one offseason to point the way to the future.

Still, hovering above every move are the cautionary, draft-day words of team owner H. Wayne Huizenga: "They'd better be right."

No one knows quite how to feel about the trade for Green: Happy it's finally done? Ambivalent about what it means? Doubtful how it will work out?

The good news is Cameron and Mueller have started down the road with exactly who they want. Their plan won't fail for lack of getting their desired players. They got Ted Ginn Jr. for his speed, Beck for his future and now Green because he played for Cameron in Washington and with quarterbacks coach Terry Shea in Kansas City.

For the past three months, the Dolphins' quarterback situation hung like a stench over this team. On Friday, when the next minicamp opens, that will be gone, just as Culpepper surely will be soon.

Finally, the overdone chase for Green is over. The whole saga reminds me of that George Clooney movie, Syriana, in which you walked out of the theater wondering what happened and why.

In this case, the why comes down to this: New coaches bring in their guys. And Green is Cameron's guy.

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com.

Culpepper

2007-06-06T19:35:00.001-05:00

Dolphins to Culpepper: Your future's not here

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

TOM ERVIN /FOR THE MIAMI HERALD

Daunte Culpepper watches John Beck quarterback during a recent practice at Nova Southeastern University.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

Are the Dolphins making a mistake by choosing Trent Green instead of Daunte Culpepper? Here's a comparison of the two veteran QBs, both coming off injury-plagued seasons:

-- Age: Culpepper -- 30; Green -- *37.
-- Height, weight: Culpepper -- 6-4, 265; Green -- 6-3, 217.
-- 2006 stats: Culpepper -- 4 games, 81 for 134, 929 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT; Green -- 8 games, 121 of 198, 1,342 yards, 7 TD, 9 INT.
-- Career stats: Culpepper -- 85 games, 1,759 of 2,741, 21,091 yards, 137 TD, 89 INT; Green -- 112 games, 2,143 of 3,527, 26,963 yards, 157 TD, 101 INT.
-- Serious injury sustained: Culpepper -- Knee (missed 21 games between 2005-06); Green -- Concussion (missed 8 games in '06).
-- Regular-season records as starter: Culpepper -- 39-45; Green -- 52-47.
-- Postseason records as starter: Culpepper -- 2-2; Green -- 0-1.

*-Turns 37 on July 9.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper is officially on the way out of the Dolphins' door.

On the morning after acquiring Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, Dolphins officials notified Culpepper they are ''going in a different direction'' and will attempt to trade him.

Coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller met with Culpepper Wednesday morning to notify him of their plans. Still, Culpepper said Mueller and Cameron also advised him that he would not be cut -- and he would be kept on the roster throughout the off-season despite his inevitable departure.

'They would like to trade me in order to `get something for me,' '' Culpepper said in an e-mail to The Miami Herald on Wednesday morning. ``However, it is my position that I have already been down that road and I am not interested in being traded.

``They have told me throughout the off-season that I am under contract to the Dolphins. Therefore, it will be up to them to either keep me under contract or release me. In the meantime, I will continue to work out at the facility with the team and prepare myself for training camp, wherever it may be.''

The decision to trade Culpepper comes a day after the medical staff cleared him to participate in an off-season practice Wednesday and this weekend's minicamp. It also comes on the same day Green will arrive in South Florida.

Green...

2007-06-06T19:34:00.001-05:00

Dolphins land QB Trent Green

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Ronald Green / Getty Images

In the final seven of last season, Trent Green threw eight interceptions and was sacked 21 times.

• The Dolphins and the Chiefs reached an agreement that will send quarterback Trent Green to Miami for a fifth-round pick. The pick could become a fourth-round selection.

The deal is finally done. The talks have finally ended. The stalemate is finally over.

And as a result of all of those conclusions Tuesday, the Dolphins finally got their quarterback.

After months of frustrating negotiations, Miami reached a trade agreement Tuesday to acquire quarterback Trent Green from Kansas City, agent Jim Steiner and one Dolphins source said.

An official announcement is expected today, as soon as Green passes a physical in South Florida this morning.

In the end, it was the simplest of compromises that closed the deal. The Dolphins tweaked their offer of a sixth-round pick once more, giving up a fifth-round pick that could become a fourth-round selection if Green meets certain performance incentives.

The Chiefs had been asking for a fourth-round pick, resulting in the sides eventually reaching the final middle ground.

But while the Dolphins' struggle with the Chiefs has ended, another competition is about to begin. The team must now decide the fate of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who received clearance from his surgeon and the team this week to participate in a weekend minicamp.

A FORMALITY

Green also is expected to participate in this weekend's minicamp, as long as he passes his physical. Although Green, 36, sustained a severe concussion at the start of last season, today's medical evaluation is being viewed as nothing more than a formality, a team source said.

Green has long been prepared to make the move to South Florida, even publicly criticizing the slow-moving process taken by the Chiefs as he eagerly awaited joining the Dolphins.

''It's not only awkward for me and my family, but it's awkward for the guys in the weight room, in the locker room, on the practice field,'' Green told Kansas City media after a recent minicamp. 'I'm here every day. People ask, `What's going on?' Guys don't know how to react to me, how to treat me.''

During that same interview session, Green said he had not been told by the Dolphins whether he would be the starter as soon as he got to South Florida. But he has been assured he would get the fair chance he was looking for.

The Dolphins also appeared to have much of the leverage in negotiations since the Chiefs would have owed Green $7.2 million in salary, despite plans to go with either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle as the starting quarterback. But that wasn't necessarily the case.

The reason is the Chiefs could have held onto Green until a week before the regular season -- when teams are mandated to cut rosters down to 53 players -- without owing him any money.

As a result, if the Dolphins wanted to wait until Green was cut, they would have been without their desired starter through all of training camp.

Green, who played for coach Cam Cameron during a stay with the Washington Redskins, now likely will replace Culpepper as the team's starting quarterback. A team source said Tuesday it would be ''very difficult'' to keep Culpepper in the plans.

Culpepper expected to participate in this weekend's minicamp after missing most of the offseason's workouts while rehabilitating his right knee.

Green has played 13 seasons in the NFL, including his previous six with the Chiefs. He has been a consistent star in the league, but he does come with questions.

Green, who is near the end of his career because he will be 37 at the start of next season, also sustained a severe concussion in the first game of last season.

Green returned to his starting role for the final seven games of the regular season, helping the Chiefs to four victories.

However, he also threw eight interceptions and was sacked 21 times during that span.

At the Dolphins' facility Tuesday, management was buzzing through the office while working to get the deal done. However, in the team's indoor practice facility, players had no idea the deal was about to go down.

TEAM PREPARED

During his youth football camp, defensive end Jason Taylor said the team was prepared to enter the weekend's minicamp as if the quarterbacks were set without Green.

''In my mind, we're settled,'' Taylor said before Green's addition. ``We've got four quarterbacks in camp, I mean how many can you carry?

``Shoot, we almost have as many quarterbacks as we do D-lineman, so if you get one more, in my eyes it's settled. This is the guys we're going to battle with.''

Now, Taylor can officially add Green to the mix.

Everything Green Today?

2007-06-06T19:33:00.001-05:00

Daunte cleared, ready to battle

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper is ready for a battle. And at least for the short term, Miami might just be prepared to give him a shot.

Culpepper wrote in an e-mail that he received medical clearance from the Dolphins on Tuesday -- the same day the team acquired quarterback Trent Green in a trade with Kansas City. As a result, he plans to fully participate in an offseason practice today, as well as this weekend's final minicamp, and he will not yet ask to be traded or released.

Culpepper first received medical clearance from Birmingham, Ala., surgeon James Andrews on Monday, which he also needed to be able to compete.

''Andrews did a thorough exam with X-rays and gave me a very positive report and clearance for this week's mini-camp,'' Culpepper wrote Tuesday. ``Today, the Dolphins also cleared me so I am preparing to practice tomorrow [Wednesday].''

As for Green's arrival? Bring it on, Culpepper wrote.

''My position on Trent is that the Dolphins should get the best players that they can and let them compete for the starting job,'' Culpepper wrote.

The problem for Culpepper is this: The Dolphins have five quarterbacks on the roster -- four of whom are being paid lucrative salaries. The team is not expected to keep more than three quarterbacks, which means one of those highly paid options is likely out.

Since Green and rookie John Beck are essentially guaranteed a spot, that leaves Cleo Lemon and Culpepper as the likely options. Lemon just signed a one-year tender offer with the team as a restricted free agent.

Does that leave Culpepper as the odd man out? A team source said it would be ''very difficult'' to keep him in the plans. However, Culpepper wrote he is prepared to compete for the job and will not ask to be traded or released.

Story on JA

2007-06-04T18:01:00.001-05:00

Dolphins' Allen happily moving forward

Defensive back has put frustrating rookie season aside.

By Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 4 2007

DAVIE · Dolphins defensive back Jason Allen ended a recent practice by reaching over tight end David Martin to break up a pass in the end zone before intercepting it.

That was the kind of playmaking ability expected by former Dolphins coach Nick Saban and Dolphins fans when the Tennessee standout was taken with the 16th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Instead, they saw a confused rookie who barely got on the field in a forgettable first season that followed a protracted holdout. Allen struggled with Saban's complex secondary schemes while being asked to play two positions (safety and cornerback) at the same time.

After an offseason of soul-searching and prayer, Allen's deer-in-the-headlights look is gone, replaced by a determined, confident gaze.

"If you can't see it in my eyes, you must be blind," Allen said. "I'm definitely on a mission to prove to my teammates and coaching staff that I'm reliable. But I have a lot more growing to do."

Allen's growth seemed stunted from the start. He missed the first 15 practices of training camp during his contract holdout.

"I was pretty much playing catch-up the whole year, learning this and changing to this," said Allen, who had 13 tackles, two passes defensed and one interception in 16 games. "It was kind of complicated but, at the same time, I had to be patient and not get frustrated. I think last year I got frustrated at times ... [and] that's uncharacteristic of myself."

Allen seems far more relaxed now that coach Cam Cameron has taken the playcalling away from him by making him strictly a cornerback.

"He doesn't have to give out the calls to everybody and get them lined up," said cornerback Travis Daniels. "He'll have someone tell him what coverages to play, and that takes a huge load off him and [will] just allow him to go out there and be the athlete that he is."

Said Allen: "That's 90 percent of it, going out knowing you're relaxed and confident, and you know what to do."

Always having an intense Saban, a former defensive back at Kent State, in the defensive backs' meetings didn't ease the transition.

Allen seemed to be looking over his shoulder for his coach's approval instead of for the ball, as he was repeatedly torched during his first preseason.

"Not to knock Coach Saban or anything, but definitely it's calmer," said safety Yeremiah Bell. "Sometimes, when you've got somebody on your back all the time, you kind of get out there [and] you want to do things right so much that you actually end up doing them wrong.

"We can now correct our mistakes on our own without anybody being on our back, and I just think its better for all of us."

Allen refused to blame Saban, but he is quick to praise recently hired assistant defensive backs coach Brett Maxie, a former NFL safety, and Mel Phillips, his position coach.

"When Coach Maxie was with the Falcons he came to Tennessee to work me out," Allen said. "Having played, he knows what we're going through. We've bonded.

"[Phillips] told me I have a natural ability to play this game, but it's like playing chess. Anybody can learn the rules, but you better know how to use the rules and know when to do certain things on the football field."

With veteran Will Allen and a combination of Daniels and Andre' Goodman ahead of Jason Allen on the depth chart, he knows that he must heed his parents' advice.

"They prayed with me about it and told me, `Jason, be patient. It's going to come. God didn't bring you this far to drop you off.'

"Now, I just try and stay positive and take it one day at a time," Allen said.

Saban often said last year that Allen could be a late-bloomer, like Steelers Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, also a 16th pick who played mostly on special team as a rookie.

"He has all the physical tools, as we all know," receiver Chris Chambers said. "It's all about experience, learning his footwork. ... how to be better at the line.

"He's going to improve as he goes along, because with our defensive line putting a lot of pressure up front a guy like him could react and make some plays out there."

Allen said last year's rocky season was valuable.

"It's never too late. You could always learn and get better," Allen said. "Make sure you become a student of the game, not just on the field practicing, but go home at night and really take notes and pay attention to your homework."

Harvey Fialkov can be reached at hfialkov@sun-sentinel.com.

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Story on Booker

2007-06-04T18:00:00.001-05:00

A fresh start for Dolphins' rookie
Running back Lorenzo Booker's career at Florida State never became the
steppingstone he envisioned, but he's hoping he can make up for lost time as a
Dolphins rookie.
BY JEFF DARLINGTON
_jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com_ (mailto:jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com)

Tom Ervin / For the Miami Herald
With Ricky Williams' status in question, former Florida State running back
Lorenzo Booker, above, is likely to have a chance at making an early
impact.This hotel room is starting to get to him. It's just too temporary. Too
restricting. Too unsettled.

That's why Dolphins running back Lorenzo Booker can't wait to get out of
here; the reason he found a real estate agent as quickly as he could to help him
find a new crib to start his new life in his new city.

''I can't take it, man,'' said Booker, currently lodged at the local spot in
Davie where rookies typically stay until they find more permanent housing.
``One week in this place is enough. I need to find a house as soon as
possible.''

Booker's antsy actions might seem a bit impatient, considering linebacker
Channing Crowder once went nearly 120 nights in the same hotel before his first
season. Then again, maybe this rookie has a legitimate reason for the
eagerness.

No doubt, Booker is ready for a fresh start. Sooner. Not later.

''Things didn't go as well as he had planned in college,'' said Sharon Hill,
Booker's mother. ``It really took a toll on him, but it taught him all about
the ups and downs of the game. As soon as possible, he's ready to prove that
nothing can stop him now.''

It has been more than five years since that celebrated day in February 2002,
when Booker -- as a high school superstar -- was prepared to prove nothing
could stop him then, either.

Standing before ESPN's cameras in suburban Los Angeles to declare on a
SportsCenter special where he would attend college, Booker picked Florida State,
fulfilling a childhood dream. Not Southern Cal, the hometown choice. Not Notre
Dame, the historical up-and-comer.

The wrong decision? Booker won't admit so much, even after five years of
unfulfilled expectations at a school that experienced an unexpected, painful
slump. But he will admit this: Watching Reggie Bush succeed at USC certainly
didn't feel good.

''It was difficult to watch him at first because he was in Southern
California, and he was being used in ways that I only wished I could,'' said Booker,
who had just four 100-yard rushing games in four seasons on the opposite
coast of his hometown of Ventura, Calif.

``I really didn't see a player that I felt like I really resembled their
style until I watched Reggie Bush play.''

`THE OLD ME'

For some time, Booker would agonize over Bush's success (''the old me,'' he
says). It hurt to watch Bush win that Heisman Trophy, the one he was supposed
to get. It hurt to see him get that national championship, the one he always
envisioned winning.

Booker eventually got over it. He had no other choice.

''The opportunities weren't there like I wanted them to be,'' he said.

Of course, Booker must accept some of the blame on his shoulders for his
struggles in college. But Florida State's dismal offensive performances of the
past few years might have hurt his ability to break free even more. That's why
the verdict is still out on him.

Will he blast into the NFL as the high school star from St. Bonaventure High
or the oddly utilized athlete from Florida State?

''The big test for him is going to be when the pads come on [in the NFL],''
Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said. ``Every back in this business eventually has
to pass protect, to some degree. I've had a lot of backs his size that became
good pass protectors and obviously good runners.''

When the Dolphins landed Booker with a third-round pick in April, they
undoubtedly snagged one of the speediest, most versatile running backs in the
draft.

Setting aside his college statistics -- which actually did rack up to more
than 2,000 rushing yards -- Booker proved to be a playmaker as a receiver, a
return man and a running back. But he's also a smaller back (5-11, 193), and
some wonder how much of an NFL workload he can handle.

It appears he will soon find out. With running back Ricky Williams' return
to the team still lingering with continued doubt, Booker likely will get an
even greater opportunity to quickly show what he's capable of.

''I think he can [make an immediate impact],'' Dolphins running back Ronnie
Brown said. ``He's doing a great job, learning everything on the move. He
catching the ball well, and he isn't making a lot of mental mistakes.''

MORE CARRIES

Booker, who couldn't hide his angst about Bush's success, now admits he
can't hide his excitement about the opportunity before him. He will get more
carries than initially expected, more opportunity to be utilized the right way --
something he surely didn't get at Florida State.

'I'd be lying if I said I didn't anticipate getting more carries because of
[Williams' absence],'' Booker said. ``At the same time, I was looking forward
to learning from him. . . . But obviously, I'm excited about having the
opportunity to get more touches early.

``A lot of guys don't get that chance.''

Last December, to finish his college career, Booker had one of his best
games at the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, with 208 yards of offense (117
receiving) and two touchdowns.

It was a display of versatile talent, proof that Booker's potential to be a
star similar to former Florida State running back Warrick Dunn remains intact.
Now, as he settles into a new place in South Florida, Booker hopes his
career is finally ready to take off -- the way he always expected it would five
years before.

''You either sink or swim, and I chose not to sink,'' he said. ``A lot of
times things don't work out like you want them to, but the fact of the matter is
the Dolphins chose not to pass on me.

``They made a great decision in doing that, and now it's time for me to help
the Dolphins make all the other 31 teams pay for it.''

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Moore...

2007-06-04T17:59:00.001-05:00

June 03, 2007

Eddie Moore may start for Broncos

Eddie Moore may not be a bust after all.

After a year out of football, the Broncos recently signed the former Dolphins linebacker, a second-round pick in 2003 whose career has been marred by a series of injuries.

After playing in just 18 games in four seasons with the Dolphins before being waived, Moore has been lining up with the Denver Broncos' starting defense at outside linebacker.

Moore is familiar with the defense as he played for Broncos assistant head coach Jim Bates with the Dolphins in 2004. He also spent the 2003 season on injured reserve with the Dolphins when Bates was the defensive coordinator.

Moore went back to the University of Tennessee to get a degree in sociology during the 2006 season.

For more on his comeback, here's the link to a story on the Denver Broncos Web site.

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Will Linemen Step up?

2007-06-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Opportunities are awaiting young Dolphins linemen

By BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

The Dolphins have high hopes for their rookie and second-year linemen. Fact is, they better.

Consider the Dolphins began '06 training camp with seven defensive and seven offensive linemen with starting experience. This year, it would be three on defense (if out-of-sight Dan Wilkinson doesn't return) and four on offense. Gone are Kevin Carter, Jeff Zgonina, David Bowens, Damion McIntosh, Jeno James, Bennie Anderson, Seth McKinney.

That means opportunities await rookies Samson Satele and Paul Soliai, and second-year players Frederick Evans, Rodrique Wright and Joe Toledo. So what's the deal with these guys? Here's some of the buzz:

• Defense: GM Randy Mueller said Evans ''proved last year he's an NFL player, and hopefully Rodrique will, too.'' Zach Thomas raves about their work ethic; Keith Traylor loves Wright's pass-rushing skills; and Jason Taylor said: ``I don't think they can be good. Fred and Rod can be great.''

Evans, from Texas State, might have been the Dolphins' best rookie during training camp in '06, and some internally thought he should be playing. But he played in just one game. This spring, he was inspired by Taylor's text message: ''Your scholarship is over.'' Evans also is taking snaps at defensive end, where Akbar Gbaja-Biamila is Miami's only experienced backup.

Wright, sidelined last year by a rotator cuff injury that dropped him to the seventh round, weighed 316 as a senior at Texas but is now 294: ``It's a world of difference. I'm quicker off the ball and my strength is better. I have the total package.''

ESPN's Mel Kiper predicts Soliai could play ''a lot'' in '07. ''A big body in the middle is really important to this defense,'' Mueller said of Soliai, who gained 120 pounds (to 340) since his freshman year at Utah. ''We were really surprised he was'' available in Round 4. ''He's going to be a force in this league,'' draftnik and former Browns scout Russ Lande predicted.

In training camp, Kevin Vickerson (in NFL Europe) will join Evans, Wright and Soliai in competition to back up Vonnie Holliday and Traylor.

• Offense: Rex Hadnot's move to guard makes Satele the favorite at center ahead of Jonathan Ingram (his last NFL game was in '05, with K.C.). Lande said Satele, picked 60th overall, is undersized for a center (295 pounds) and sometimes was ''tossed to the ground'' at Hawaii. But scouts like his toughness, athleticism and quick feet. Line coach Hudson Houck has made major changes to his technique.

The Dolphins project former Vikings starter Chris Liwienski as a starting guard, although one Cardinals insider said he demonstrated last year he's backup material and subpar in pass protection.

Toledo -- who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury -- has lost ground after missing recent workouts with soreness in the foot he broke last season in a team sauna. He hopes to return by Friday's minicamp. Also competing: sixth-round guard/center Drew Mormino.

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Fans Like Cameron

2007-06-03T08:56:00.001-05:00

Cameron's demeanor is hooking fans

BY MANNY NAVARRO

mnavarro@MiamiHerald.com

Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff

New Dolphins coach Cam Cameron shouts out directions during drills Friday, April 13, 2007, at mini-camp at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. 'Cameron really gets into the community stuff a lot more than Saban did,' said linebacker Channing Crowder.

Cam Cameron has not coached a game, but the Dolphins' new leader appears to be a step ahead of the guy he replaced when it comes to at least one facet of the job -- his relationship with the community.

Although rough seas and bad weather caused the cancellation of Saturday's 11th annual Miami Dolphins Fishing Tournament, at least one former and one current player said Cameron's presence at community events is winning them and fans over more than when Nick Saban was coach.

''Cameron really gets into the community stuff a lot more than Saban did,'' linebacker Channing Crowder said at Friday night's Captain's Party at Miami Beach Marina. ``A lot more guys want to come out to these things. He brings out a lot more of the old players, makes it kind of a Dolphin family really.

``With Saban, it was much more about winning on the field. Cam runs a much better overall program and I think Cam is great for Miami.''

Former Dolphins receiver Nat Moore agreed.

''Nick was committed, but not really committed,'' Moore said. ``So, you didn't have this kind of turnout. You look at it, you got Cam Cameron and now you see all your marquee players here. It just shows you, everything is strong in the leadership and the Miami Dolphins want to be in the forefront here in South Florida doing things the right way.''

To be fair, Saban, now at Alabama, did attend the same event during his two seasons in Miami and spoke at both dinners, according to Dolphins media personnel. But unlike Saban, who spent those evenings flanked by security, Cameron spent most of Friday night on his own, working his way around the tent and greeting the public. He shook hands, posed for photos and introduced himself and two of his children, Tommy, 13, and Chris, 9, to fans and anglers.

Cameron, who grew up fishing in Indiana, said he had been looking forward to the tournament since getting the job.

''I caught a huge sailfish in about 15 minutes at the Orange Bowl Splash about 10 years ago,'' Cameron said. ``I still got it in my house.''

Last year, the event raised more than $300,000 for local charities. On Saturday night, the team raised a similar amount in a silent auction.

• Crowder, who played football at Florida, said he was sad to see UF basketball coach Billy Donovan leave for the Orlando Magic.

''He went for the money,'' Crowder said. ``Nick Saban did it. Billy made a lot of money and thought about himself right there. But I'm not mad at him. He brought us two national championships, put Florida on the map basketball-wise. So good luck to him.''

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Green Again...

2007-06-01T18:17:00.001-05:00

Miami tweaks bid for QB Green

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Brian Bahr / Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins have yet to reach an agreement on a trade for quarterback Trent Green.

The Dolphins recently modified their trade offer for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, his agent, Jim Steiner, said Thursday morning. And although the Chiefs didn't immediately accept, Steiner said he continues to believe Green will end up with the Dolphins.

''I think we will get a deal done,'' Steiner said. ``There have been a lot of conversations.''

But Steiner said he has no idea when Green will become a Dolphin or whether it will be in time for the team's final minicamp June 8-10.

According to Steiner, the Dolphins offered a conditional sixth-round pick that would become a fifth-rounder if Green meets certain undisclosed conditions. But the Chiefs have asked for a fourth-round pick.

Several media reports have suggested the Atlanta Falcons might pursue Green because of the uncertain status of Michael Vick, who has been investigated for dog fighting. But Steiner said he has not heard from the Falcons or any team other than the Dolphins.

Steiner has not revealed if Green will report to the Chiefs' training camp if his status hasn't been resolved by late July.

Steiner said Green's $7.2 million salary would not become guaranteed until the Chiefs cut down to their 53-man roster the weekend before the regular-season opener.

Could the Chiefs actually hold onto Green until then?

''It could go to that point,'' Steiner said. ``I wish I had that crystal ball.''

Although it's difficult to envision the Chiefs keeping Green at his current salary, Steiner said the team has not addressed that issue with him.

The Chiefs recently told Green he will be given a fair chance to win the starting job against Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard.

But Steiner said, ``It would be very, very difficult to convince Trent he would be given a fair opportunity to win a starting job based on what's been said publicly and privately.''

Steiner said Chiefs coach Herman Edwards previously said that anyone who beats out Croyle ``would have to do it by a wide margin.''

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USA Today Article: Pretty Good

2007-06-01T14:18:00.001-05:00

Dolphins' fate: All depends on who takes the snaps

By Skip Wood, USA TODAY

Asked about his take on the state of the Miami Dolphins, the former coach who once led the franchise to an unprecedented 17-0 season sighs.

"I'd like to think they're headed in the right direction," Don Shula says with hopefulness and apprehension. "I know a lot of fans are hoping the same thing. Because let's face it, the fans haven't had a lot to cheer about the last several years."

Shula, a team vice chairman and chief ambassador, helped the Dolphins draw many cheers during his tenure from 1970 to 1995, when the team won 65% of its games and two Super Bowls.

But these days? Consider some lyrics from Only Wanna Be With You by Hootie and the Blowfish and sung by longtime Miami fan Darius Rucker: "I'm such a baby, 'cause the Dolphins make me cry."

"The thing I want to get back to is having pride in being a Dolphins fan," Shula says. "For our fans, I want them to be proud of being Dolphins fans.

"I think that's going to be Cam's biggest challenge, is to get that pride back."

TABLE: Additions, subtractions in Miami

AUDIO ANALYSIS: With luck, Miami can contend

Shula's referring to Cam Cameron, lured from his post as the San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator to replace Nick Saban, who, after two up-and-down seasons, decided he'd rather coach at the University of Alabama.

Cameron's task is simple but daunting: return Miami to the playoffs and beyond. Not since the 2001 season have the Dolphins graced the postseason menu.

Say all you want about the great Dan Marino, but he did not lead the team to a Super Bowl win.

Cue another song, Mrs. Robinson, with lyrics slightly altered from the ones penned by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

"Where have you gone, Bob Griese? A South Beach nation turns its lonely eyes to you."

The fact is, one of the league's more notable outposts has failed to consistently get it done since the days of Csonka, Buoniconti, Warfield and, yes, Griese.

That was the 1970s, mind you.

Since then, consider:

•Jimmy Johnson coached here. Didn't get it done.

•Marino parlayed his stay into a Hall of Fame career, absent only a Super Bowl ring.

•Ricky Williams? He was here, then he wasn't, then he was, then he wasn't and now his future with the team apparently has evaporated like a puff of smoke.

•Daunte Culpepper? The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback arrived before last season with great fanfare but was grounded by physical ailments that hinder him still.

•Trent Green? Stay tuned. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback wants to be traded, and he has made no secret he wants his destination to be Miami.

"There is no deal at the moment," Green's agent, Jim Steiner said in late May, "but our expectation is that there will be."

Green took part in the Chiefs minicamp knowing there's little, if any, chance of him playing a seventh season in Kansas City. And most of his recent comments were not about the Chiefs but about the Dolphins and his affection for Cameron, whom he worked with as a Washington Redskin.

He also commented about "the awkwardness of this."

So the Dolphins again are mired in a quarterback mystery, one that has more or less continued since Marino retired.

Cameron deflects questions about Green and Culpepper to talk about …Cleo Lemon, the fourth-year pro from Arkansas State taking most of the offseason snaps.

"The story of the day," Cameron says after a minicamp practice, "was the play of Cleo Lemon."

Happy, happy, joy, joy.

And Green? Who really, really wants to play for you?

"You don't know," Cameron says. "Is every guy (New Orleans Saints quarterback) Drew Brees? I don't know."

Then there's John Beck, 25, a second-round draft pick out of Brigham Young and Miami's highest-drafted signal-caller since, you guessed it, Marino in 1983.

Despite Beck's presence as the possible quarterback of the near future, many fans voiced their displeasure to Cameron on draft day when Miami bypassed more heralded Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn with the ninth pick, opting instead for Ohio State wideout/kick returner Ted Ginn Jr., who's healing from a foot injury suffered in the BCS title game.

On other fronts, the Dolphins have hope for reasonable optimism. Defenders Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas continue to get it done. And most Dolphins fans probably are satisfied by up-and-coming Ronnie Brown at running back.

The way the old coach sees things, everything goes back to who will be taking the snaps.

"With Jason and Zach, you have a foundation on the defense, and it's good for the fans to be able to continue to see that," Shula says. "What we've got to wait and see is how the quarterback situation ends up — that and the whole offense, really.

"With Cam coming in, I think that's going to be a huge lift, because offense, that's his strength and that's what the Dolphins need at this time. If they can juice up the offense and get them playing well, there's a chance we can turn this thing around. But right now I think a lot of this depends on who the quarterback's going to be."

Cameron understands and knows he soon will have to provide this team with his stamp, no matter what players he has or doesn't have.

"Have you read the book Good to Great?" he asks. "I could list 100, maybe 200 other books that I have read, from books 2,000 years ago to books that were written in the 1800s, and the common theme is getting the right people. If you read that book, it's about getting the right people on the bus."

The bus is leaving soon.

AROUND THE FIELD IN MIAMI

Quarterback: Who knows? It's probably the most important aspect of the Dolphins' plan for a resurgence, but the situation remains cloudy. There's Daunte Culpepper, whose physical limitations were on display for all to see last season. There's Trent Green. Either way, we're talking about two productive players who also happen to be in their 30s. Cleo Lemon, anyone? John Beck?

Running back: Ronnie Brown is back, and his promise as an elite runner remains solid. Gone are Travis Minor and Sammy Morris. Fullback Cory Schlesinger arrives from the Detroit Lions, and Brown should enjoy the new holes he'll open. Ricky Williams probably will be forced to take his lifestyle elsewhere, leaving a fleeting sense of what-might-have-been for Dol-fans. Cheer up. The speed of rookie Lorenzo Booker has coaches smiling.

Wide receiver: This is one of the team's more stable positions, with Chris Chambers, Marty Booker and the arrival of draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. Keep an eye on Az-Zahir Hakim. Derek Hagan has potential.

Tight end: Veteran Randy McMichael was cut, but former Green Bay Packer David Martin appears ready to contribute. Considering Cam Cameron made Antonio Gates a star with the San Diego Chargers, Martin might have landed in the right place.

Offensive line: Change is the name of the game. Vernon Carey goes from right tackle to the left side. L.J. Shelton will likely man the right flank. Incumbent center Rex Hadnot could shift to guard, and second-round draft pick Samson Satele could wind up as the starting center … or at one of the guard spots. Overall prognosis for the unit is positive, but development could take time.

Defensive line: It's one of the areas Miami isn't especially sweating about. Jason Taylor, who doubles as a rush end and outside linebacker, is back, and so are Vonnie Holliday and Keith Traylor.

Linebacker: Say it loudly and say it proudly: Zach! Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Zach Thomas, who enters his 12th season in the league and with the Dolphins. Fan favorite. Good guy. Aging but still apparently sufficiently agile. Add Joey Porter to the mix. Donnie Spragan is expected to progress, and don't forget about Channing Crowder.

Secondary: The talent and depth appear good. Free safety Renaldo Hill has become someone the coaches depend on, as has strong safety Yeremiah Bell. Cornerbacks Travis Daniels and Will Allen are also on hand, and Jason Allen, a first-round disappointment last season, may wind up as Will's cornerback counterpart. Incumbent corner Andre Goodman may be a physical casualty if his shoulder doesn't heal.

Special teams: Gone is noted kicker Olindo Mare. The Dolphins used a seventh-round pick on punter Brandon Fields and signed kicker Jay Feely.

Coaching staff: Cameron is an offensive-minded coach who would seem to mesh well with what already appears to be a stout defense. Dom Capers has shown he knows what he's doing defensively.

Outlook: Much depends on the quarterback and whether Culpepper (if he's able to return from injury) or Green (if he comes to Miami) still have juice in their aging bodies.

The defense looks solid, and with Brown at running back and the capable receivers, things look relatively promising.

BREAKING DOWN THE DOLPHINS
Last season: 6-10, fourth place in the AFC East, missed playoffs

Additions	Subtractions	Draft picks

K Jay Feely	G Bennie Anderson	Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio State (9)

WR Az-Zahir Hakim	FB Darian Barnes	John Beck, QB, BYU (40)

OL Chris Liwienski	DE David Bowens	Samson Satele, C, Hawaii (60)

TE David Martin	DE Kevin Carter	Lorenzo Booker, RB, Florida State (71)

LB Joey Porter	QB Joey Harrington	Paul Soliai, DT, Utah (108)

OT Mike Rosenthal	G Jeno James	Reagan Mauia, FB, Hawaii (181)

FB Cory Schlesinger	P Donnie Jones	Drew Mormino, C, Central Michigan (199)

S Cameron Worrell	K Olindo Mare	Kelvin Smith, LB, Syracuse (219)

	OT Damian McIntosh	Brandon Fields, P, Michigan State (225)

	TE Randy McMichael	Abraham Wright, DE, Colorado (238)

	RB Travis Minor

	RB Sammy Morris

	WR Wes Welker	(Overall selection in parentheses)

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Porter..

2007-05-31T14:54:00.001-05:00

Porter still awaits ruling from NFL

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Jared Lazarus / Miami Herald Staff

Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter signs autographs for fans during minicamp at the team's headquarters in May.

Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter's case might be closed in the courtroom, but his issues stemming from a fight with Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Levi Jones at a Las Vegas casino now will shift into the NFL's hands.

Porter, who wasn't present at Wednesday's hearing, entered a guilty/no contest plea on a misdemeanor battery charge through his attorney, Karen Winckler. As a result, Porter was punished with a $1,000 fine, which Winckler paid immediately after.

With Porter's legal issues finalized, the NFL must decide whether it also will punish South Florida's newest sports star. The league had no immediate update Wednesday, and it could not provide a time frame.

''At this point, it's the same as we've said in the past,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday. ``It's still under review. There's nothing to add yet.''

As for Porter's stance with the team, coach Cam Cameron did not indicate whether Porter would be punished internally, but said in a statement he has been pleased with the linebacker's honesty since the incident took place.

''Joey has been up front and honest with me since joining our team,'' Cameron said. ``He fully understands the type of character we expect from our players, both on and off the field, and I am confident he will learn from this.''

However, Porter still might not have picked an ideal time to have his first off-the-field fight, considering commissioner Roger Goodell has been coming down hard on bad behavior. Such an incident might not have merited much more than a fine in the past, but a suspension seems much more possible as a result of the offseason's precedent.

Porter was cited with a battery charge in March, when he and several friends attacked Jones at the Palms Casino.

Through the Bengals' media relations department, Jones said he would not comment publicly about the incident anymore.

Weeks after the fight, Jones called Porter a ''coward'' for the attack.

The two players had a long history of verbal jabs on the field, since both met twice a year in the Bengals' AFC North rivalry with the Steelers (Porter's former team). Jones, an offensive lineman, and Porter will meet again this season when the Dolphins play the Bengals on Dec. 30.

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More Green...

2007-05-31T14:53:00.001-05:00

Dolphins may be upping ante for QB Green

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

The Dolphins recently modified their trade offer for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, his agent said Thursday morning. And though the Chiefs didn't immediately accept, agent Jim Steiner said he continues to believe Green will end up with the Dolphins.

''I think we will get a deal done,'' Steiner said. ''There have been a lot of conversations.'' But Steiner said he has no idea when Green will become a Dolphin or whether it will be in time for the team's final minicamp June 8-10.

Several media reports have suggested the Atlanta Falcons might pursue Green because of the uncertain status of Michael Vick, who has being investigated for dog fighting. But Steiner said he has not heard from the Falcons or any team other than the Dolphins.

Steiner has not revealed if Green will report to Chiefs training camp if his status hasn't been resolved by late July.

Steiner said Green's $7.2 million salary would not become guaranteed until the Chiefs cut down to their 53-man roster the weekend before the regular-season opener. Could the Chiefs actually hold onto Green until then? ''It could go to that point,'' Steiner said. ``I wish I had that crystal ball.''

Although it's difficult to envision the Chiefs keeping Green at his current salary, Steiner said the team has not addressed that issue with him. The Chiefs recently told Green he will be given a fair chance to win the starting job against Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard, but Steiner said, ``It would be very, very difficult to convince Trent he would be given a fair opportunity to win a starting job based on what's been said publicly and privately.''

Steiner said Chiefs coach Herman Edwards previously said that anyone who beats out Croyle ``would have to do it by a wide margin.''

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Porters going to pay a fine

2007-05-31T14:03:00.001-05:00

Dolphins linebacker pays fine for punching rival in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter pleaded no contest Wednesday and paid a $1,000 fine for punching Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones after a disagreement at a casino blackjack table.

Porter did not appear in Las Vegas Justice Court while his lawyer, Karen Winckler, entered the plea to a misdemeanor battery charge and paid the fine, said a court aide to Justice of the Peace Pro Tem James Gubler. Gubler accepted the plea.

Winckler did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Porter, 30, and Jones, 27, scuffled March 18 inside the Palms hotel-casino and in the valet area after exchanging words at the blackjack table, prosecutor Brian Rutledge said. He said Porter could have faced up to six months in jail and the $1,000 fine. Jones was not charged.

Jones, who suffered a cut on his forehead, said Porter 'approached him to fight because they argue on the football field,' according to a police report. The report says Porter threw the first punch.

Porter, 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, left the Pittsburgh Steelers after eight years and signed a five-year, $32 million deal with the Dolphins in March. Jones, 6-5 and 307 pounds, missed much of last season with a knee injury.

The NFL has been cracking down on off-field misbehavior since Roger Goodell became commissioner last summer. Porter's plea is certain to draw the league's attention.

The two players had a history of on-field trash talking with each other when the Steelers and Bengals played twice a year in the AFC North.

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron issued a statement in Miami crediting Porter with informing the team of the incident.

'Joey has been upfront and honest with me since joining our team,' Cameron said. 'He fully understands the type of character we expect from our players, both on and off the field, and I am confident he will learn from this.'

Neither Jones nor the Bengals had any comment, Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said Wednesday from Cincinnati.

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Another Chance

2007-05-30T14:24:00.001-05:00

Getting another chance

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron believes trying to rejuvenate the careers of Kelly Campbell and Jesse Chatman is worth the effort.

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Although this Dolphins regime has been somewhat cautious about signing players with past issues, coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller aren't averse to reclamation projects.

''Sometimes it's just a gut instinct,'' Cameron said.

And Cameron and Mueller believe trying to rejuvenate the careers of receiver Kelly Campbell and running back Jesse Chatman is worth the effort. And so the Dolphins have welcomed back both players for a second time, even though neither has played a down in a regular-season game since 2004.

Chatman averaged 6.0 yards a carry as LaDainian Tomlinson's backup in a San Diego offense directed by Cameron in 2004, but then essentially ate himself out the league.

Campbell averaged 19.2 yards on 19 catches with the Minnesota Vikings in '04, and then missed two seasons, largely because of leg injuries. His reputation also was affected by his February 2005 arrest on possession of marijuana and theft for receiving stolen property. (The charges were dropped, according to his agent, Jack Reale.)

If healthy and fit (so far, so good), both possess the speed and quickness that the team covets.

After ballooning to 270 pounds two years ago, Chatman, who is 5-8, said he's down to 215, his weight as a senior at Eastern Washington in 2001.

Chatman, 27, seemed to break through in his third NFL season, when he ran for 392 yards on 65 carries for the Chargers. But after re-signing him, the Chargers released him in July 2005 when he reported overweight. The Dolphins signed him before that season, but he was inactive for four games, and traded in October to New Orleans, which released him in November. He was out of the league until Miami signed him in February.

Chatman blames a lack of discipline for the weight gain: ``I was eating late at night, snacking for no reason, things I know not to do now.''

Chatman lost the weight through exercise and diet and appreciates ''having a supportive wife cooking all the right things.'' Chicken, ground turkey and vegetables have replaced ground beef, cheese and Mexican food in his diet.

''When I was here in 2005, I remember David Boston telling me it doesn't matter how the food tastes,'' he said. ``It's whether it's healthy for you. Every time I took that bite, I knew it may not taste good, but it's good for me, and it kept me going.''

Chatman, who has five children, spent last season living in San Diego but didn't watch NFL games because it was too upsetting to see players he believed were inferior to him.

`IMPRESSED'

''Here's a guy who has played at a high level at one time and had some obstacles in his way,'' Cameron said. ``I've been impressed with him getting some of those issues squared away.

``How do you know if a guy is going to repeat mistakes? You don't. You look at what he's done recently behavior-wise. You look in his eyes. You listen to his voice. A gut instinct told me this guy is committed to doing the right things . . .''

In San Diego, Chatman said, 'Coach Cameron used to sit me down a lot. He knew as a young player I was struggling with off-field issues. One thing that stuck with me that he said was, `If life wasn't hard, it wouldn't be life.' ''

Miami has shown faith in its reserve running backs (rookie Lorenzo Booker, Chatman, Patrick Cobbs, among others) by not signing an established free agent such as Corey Dillon.

''I'm grateful the Dolphins gave me a second opportunity and I'm going to make sure they get everything they deserve out of me,'' Chatman said.

HEALTH ISSUES

Campbell is striving to return to his '04 form. After catching 57 passes, including eight touchdowns, in three years with the Vikings, Campbell was released before the 2005 season, largely because of a leg injury. Last summer, a lingering quadriceps injury in his other leg ruined his attempt to make the Dolphins. He got an injury settlement and spent the season living in South Florida, rehabilitating his leg.

''It was very hard sitting out two years,'' he said.

But Campbell, 26, said he believes he has found a way to lessen the chance of leg injuries. He said he has been ''doing different exercises'' under the supervision of a Weston doctor to ''get my quad stronger.'' He also said he's eating healthier, including protein shakes.

Cameron said Mueller has ''a high opinion'' of Campbell, and Cameron likes what he has seen.

''The one thing that's obvious: He's got outstanding speed,'' Cameron said. ``If he could stay healthy, he can help us.''

Campbell appears to be competing with Az-Zahir Hakim and several long shots for an open job in a receiving corps that features Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Derek Hagan and No. 1 pick Ted Ginn.

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News About Draft Picks

2007-05-30T14:23:00.001-05:00

Top 3 Dolphins draft picks not moved by edict to sign early

By Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 30 2007

Although the Dolphins have already signed five of their 10 rookie draft picks, don't expect deals for the top three to get done as quickly.

Contract discussions haven't started between the Dolphins and the representatives of second-round picks quarterback John Beck and center Samson Satele. Neil Cornrich, agent for Dolphins first-round receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr., says he doesn't discuss negotiations.

However, Beck's agent, Justin Schulman of Athletes First, doesn't anticipate any problems in getting a deal done before the start of training camp in late July.

"When discussions start I'm happy to have them, and I'm sure they'll be productive like they've always been," Schulman said. "We don't hold out people."

Neither Schulman nor Craig Doman -- who represents Satele and fourth-round defensive tackle Paul Soliai -- feels threatened by Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga's edict for rookies to get in early or sit on the bench. Satele is the leading contender for starting center since Rex Hadnot was moved to right guard last week.

"It looks like the Dolphins are moving pretty fast," Doman said. "... The last time I checked it was still May. It's insane, but OK, as long as we do a good deal."

The five Dolphins rookies under contract are running back Lorenzo Booker (third round) and fullback Reagan Mauia (sixth), as well as all three seventh-round picks: linebackers Kelvin Smith and Abraham Wright, and punter Brandon Fields. Dave Butz, agent for sixth-round center Drew Mormino, is on his honeymoon until June 5.

LEMON SIGNS OFFER

Quarterback Cleo Lemon signed his one-year, $1.3 million tender offer.

Although he was the team's last restricted free agent to sign his tender, Lemon has participated in all of the Dolphins' offseason practices after signing an injury waiver.

Lemon has served as the first-string quarterback with Daunte Culpepper (knee) sidelined.

Lemon made his first career NFL start for the Dolphins in the 2006 season finale.

J.T. BACKS CULPEPPER

Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor believes Culpepper has been unfairly criticized during his rehabilitation.

"I've seen stuff in the papers and heard people on the radio say he's not showing up for workouts, he's missing rehab, he's gaining weight, he's not working hard and a bunch of other crap that couldn't be further from the truth,'' Taylor said during an interview on WEFL (760-AM). "I thought [the team banquet] was a good chance for me to stand up ... and say: The man is working, he wants to come back and he's trying as hard as he can to come back from an injury that nine out of 10 people would have never played again after.

"Give him a shot, and if the team decides to go in another direction, then fine."

Taylor was asked if he thought suspended running back Ricky Williams would play for the Dolphins again.

"Who really knows? Who cares?'' he said.

Harvey Fialkov can be reached at hfialkov@sun-sentinel.com.

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Just a Note

2007-05-30T13:59:00.003-05:00

Lemon re-signs with Dolphins

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - The Miami Dolphins have re-signed quarterback Cleo Lemon to a one-year contract.

The Arkansas State product will be entering his fourth NFL season and third with Miami, where he played in four games in 2006, including one start.

Lemon has completed 38 of 68 passes for 929 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career.

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Lofton Doing Good

2007-05-30T13:59:00.001-05:00

Making his own impression

By Cory J. Mageors, Staff Writer
(Created: Tuesday, May 29, 2007)

Plano West graduate David Lofton signs with Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins picked up 6-foot-4, 215 lb. David Lofton on the free agent market following the 2007 NFL Draft.

Lofton, son of NFL Hall-Of-Famer James Lofton, attended Plano West and more recently graduated from Stanford. He established an impressive career for the Cardinal, and now hopes to continue building upon his success as a Dolphin.

"Right now I am just concentrating on making the team," Lofton said. "My best chance to make it is on special teams, so I have to work hard everyday to learn the defense and get all of the little things down. As opposed to college, this is your main priority now. You just have to concentrate on football now."

Lofton doesn't have to worry about classes, or all of the other time consuming duties of college. All day and all night, his mind is on Dolphins football.

Veteran safeties Renaldo Hill, Travaras Tillman and Yeremiah Bell all have established a reputation in the NFL. Lofton also understands that he is now competing with these players, while also absorbing the nuances of the game from each of them. The young safety recognizes an excellent opportunity to also learn the NFL profession from such reputable names such as Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Joey Porter.

"Renaldo Hill has helped me out in learning the defense," Lofton said. "I just observe how they play the game. Guys like Zach Thomas, who have been in the league for a while, are true students of the game. That is what I want to become. I want to have a passion to be a student of the game."

Though the Dolphins have only participated in a few practices thus far, the coaches and team management is keeping a keen eye open for standouts with talent. Just as every team is looking to find key elements right now, Miami will utilize the June 8-10 mini-camps as a time to find guys who will head to training camp for a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man regular season roster.

Lofton is knowledgeable that if he is to make the roster, he must make an impression on the Dolphins organization. There are no more red-shirts being passed out. He is being paid to do a job, and to be the best at it.

"I have to be assertive," Lofton said. "Coach Cam Cameron emphasized that I'm taking this job from somebody. There are only so many slots available and if you don't fit into one of those slots, if you don't make yourself known, then you won't get one. That is why I am always asking the coaches questions, and always asking other players. I want the team to know that I am getting better and always trying to get better."

As a graduate from Stanford, Lofton attributes the curriculum at Plano West for his ability to adapt to one of the top educational programs in the country. Lofton was one of the top prep players in Texas in 2001, throwing for more than 1,700 yards, rushing for more than 600 yards and accounting for 17 touchdowns as the Wolves starting quarterback. He was named a Gridiron Great following his senior season, and an Academic All-State selection.

"It was definitely beneficial to be able to have such a great academic situation at Plano West," Lofton said. "The classes truly helped me prepare for college. Texas high school football is probably the best in the country and we take pride in that fact."

Former West Head Coach Mark Reeve remembers Lofton as a dedicated leader at the Wolves helm.

"We always knew he was a special player," Reeve said. "The thing he had was character. When you combine that character with great athletic ability and an outstanding work ethic, then you know a player will be successful."

At Stanford, Lofton did not see extensive playing time until his junior season. After bouncing around from quarterback to receiver, Lofton finally settled in at free safety in 2005 where he played in eleven games, and recorded 35 tackles in five starts.

In 2006, Lofton finished the season seventh in total tackles with 47 (23 solo) while only playing in eight games.

Lofton majored in urban studies, and was a National Achievement Scholar Finalist and a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist.

His father, James, who is now an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, has always had a large impact on his career. Weather in his studies or in teaching him the little things that would help him become a better player, Mr. Lofton has helped keep his son on the right track.

Lofton says that one of the biggest thrills in his life was inducting his father into the NFL Hall of Fame.

And though he has always had somebody to look up to, Lofton wants to emulate nobody, while letting his own play define who he is.

"You have to make the adjustment to the NFL quickly," Lofton said. "I think my size is going to help me in hitting these big tight ends and running backs who are twice the size they were in college. Everybody here is bigger, faster and stronger. The number might work out in your favor, but you have to go all out to find out."

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Jason Taylor on The Dolphins

2007-05-30T13:57:00.001-05:00

Jason Taylor on ESPN 760-AM

By | Tuesday, May 29, 2007, 05:30 PM

Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor joined Evan Cohen today on Palm Beaches GameDay on ESPN Radio 760. Here's a transcript:

Would you agree to play for free if it meant the Dolphins would make the playoffs?

Playoffs, no, Super Bowl, yes. I've been to the playoffs before, our goal is not to make the playoffs, it's to win the Super Bowl. [Our goal is] not to win ten games or make the first round of the playoffs and see what happens. I get up every day and go to work, to win the Super Bowl, anything less than that is not a success - in our eyes, the fans eyes and our owner's eyes.

Would you leave the Dolphins for a better chance of winning a Super Bowl?

It doesn't cross my mind. There are no guarantees in the league and to leave the team you [entered the league] with and chase Super Bowl dreams somewhere else, there's no guarantee another team's going to make it. It can turn around here; New Orleans turned it around quickly last year and was 30 minutes away from the big game. If I made the playoffs somewhere else there would always be a piece of me that felt empty, for not having a chance to do it here for the fans. The way I've been received by the community, I would always have a void for not being able to turn it around and get it back to where it's supposed to be for our football franchise.

Can you win a Super Bowl with the Miami Dolphins?

I truly believe we can, if everyone buys into what we are trying to do, if we all give up bull crap excuses and does what were supposed to do, I know we can win.

At the Dolphins team banquet, why did you make a point to emphasize all the work that Daunte Culpepper has put into coming back?

Because of the heat he's taking in the media. Daunte Culpepper is my quarterback, Cleo Lemon is my quarterback and [John] Beck is my quarterback. Daunte has received a lot of bad press and he doesn't deserve it. People are free to write and say what they want, but at the banquet I was in a position to stand up for the man. I see how hard he works and how bad he wants to comeback and be successful. I've seen stuff in the papers and heard people on the radio say he's not showing up for workouts, he's missing rehab, he's gaining weight, he's not working hard and a bunch of other crap that couldn't be further from the truth. I thought it was a good chance for me to stand up if front of everyone when they are all listening and say the man is working, he wants to come back and he's trying as hard as he can to comeback from an injury that nine out ten people would have never played again after.

He had a very bad knee injury and he's working his way back, so let's be patient and give him a chance. We knew last year when he rushed back that he wasn't one hundred percent healthy and the man needs time to heal. Give him a shot and if the team decides to go in another direction, then fine. As far as the media and fans are concerned - who are kind of ignorant of the situation - [they] need to take a step back and say, "This is a grown man, a man who has feelings, who has kids and let's be careful how bad we trash him."

What are your thoughts on how the Chiefs are treating Trent Green?

I think the Chiefs are being a little ridiculous in what they are trying to do, but one thing is for sure: time waits for no man. June 1st is coming up and the Chiefs and the Dolphins know that if it's going to work out it will. He's not part of our team right now, the guys I said earlier [Culpepper, Lemon, Beck] are our quarterbacks and that's who I'm ready to go to battle with.

Does it matter who the Head Coach is, as long as Dom Capers is your Defensive Coordinator?

Yeah it does. We have an offensive-minded coach and we need to score more points and be more efficient offensively. With Dom being retained as defensive coordinator it creates continuity and we can stay comfortable. We need to tweak a few things and throw some new wrinkles in. Defensively I think the transition between [Nick] Saban and [Cam] Cameron has been seamless. Offensively I think it will be a big difference. Cam is calling the plays and has a lot more control over the offense than previous coaches.

Will Ricky Williams ever play another game for your team?

Who really knows, who cares?

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P.K. Sam?

2007-05-30T13:56:00.001-05:00

Dolphins' Sam making a splash in NFL Europa

By Danny Dabiri on May 30, 2007 12:11 AM

Permalink | Comments (4) | Email This Article | RSS | [+] More Dolphins News

In 2007, the Miami Dolphins could be adding a productive outside playmaker to their offense, and his name is not Ted Ginn Jr. Instead, it's P.K. Sam. That's right, the Dolphins' allocated receiver has been one of the most effective receivers in NFL Europa this year.

In six games for the Rhein Fire, he leads the team with 24 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns. Last week against Cologne, Sam's stellar play culminated with his most productive game yet, as he caught nine balls for 114 yards and two scores.

Granted, the competition in Europe doesn't rival the American product, but fans should be optimistic that Sam can build on his recent success upon his return to Miami.

The Dolphins head into the upcoming season with a bit of uncertainty regarding their receiving corps. Starters Chris Chambers and Marty Booker will return, but the departure of Wes Welker to the Patriots has left a void on the depth chart. The team tried to address the need with the selection of the speedy Ginn in the first round of last April's draft. Still recovering from a foot injury, Ginn's readiness remains cloudy. Miami also brought in veteran Az-Zahir Hakim to add speed to the unit, but his best years are definitely behind him. Finally, second-year receiver Derek Hagan was adequate in his rookie campaign, but he is more of a possession target.

A lot rides on Ginn's health. If he can play at full speed, he will likely be the primary complement to Chambers and Booker. In the event that the ex-Ohio State star's foot hampers his availability and effectiveness, the Dolphins could benefit from an additional playmaker on the outside. Despite a lack of production and game experience at the NFL level, Sam has recently demonstrated that he has the ability to make plays if granted an opportunity.

Critics might argue that Sam, a former Florida State standout, has had plenty of opportunities to establish himself as a legitimate receiver in the league, but the fact remains that he is only 24 years old and seems to be improving. Standing at 6-foot-3, Sam has the physical attributes to make an impact. With an aging Booker (he will be 31 when the season begins), and uncertainty surrounding Ginn, Sam could potentially play a pivotal role for the Dolphins in '07

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Fresh Start

2007-05-29T14:54:00.001-05:00

Dolphins' Chambers ready for fresh start

Chris Chambers, coming off a tough 2006 season, seems to be embracing Cam Cameron's offense.

BY MICHAEL WALLACE

mwallace@MiamiHerald.com

Wide receiver Chris Chambers wishes he knew what went wrong last season.

Chambers would like to identify just what led to the drop-off in production that had this former Pro Bowl selection believing the prime of his career was slipping through his hands like a dropped pass.

He just can't put a finger on one thing. Chambers -- like many of his teammates who struggled in the offense under the previous coaching regime -- doesn't know exactly where to start. What is clear is that Chambers' 2006 struggles were a microcosm of the team's overall problems.

''There were so many things -- you just can't pinpoint one or two,'' Chambers said after a weekend workout at the Dolphins' practice facility. ``But there was no chemistry. Nothing really ever connected. I've had a pretty good career until this point. I know I'm not coming off my best season. But with some of these changes, I'm going to be able to get back to doing what I normally do.''

Among the changes this offseason have been a switch from defensive-minded coach Nick Saban to Cam Cameron, considered an offensive guru. For Chambers, it also has meant spending the past month adjusting to a new role at receiver. In football jargon, Chambers has moved from the Z to X position. Why? It's a subtle change that could have substantial results.

Loosely translated, Chambers would line up primarily on the less-crowded side of some formations, leaving him more space to exploit mismatches.

Cameron said Chambers seems to have embraced the change through the initial stages of offseason workouts. Chambers can grow more acclimated to the role when the team's next minicamp opens June 8.

GETTING BETTER

''He's progressing,'' said Cameron, who has moved at least four starters to new positions. ``It sounds crazy -- a Pro Bowl player, a veteran guy, progressing. But that's what it's all about. The minute you quit getting better in this business, you're on the way out. He's still getting better.''

The hope is that Chambers will rekindle his Pro Bowl production from 2005, when he had 82 catches, 1,118 yards and 11 touchdowns. But those numbers dipped to just 59 catches for a career-low 677 yards and four touchdowns last season. Chambers' franchise record of five consecutive seasons as the leader in receiving yards ended.

He said several factors led to the disappointing results. Chief among them, Chambers said, was a lack of continuity in the offense and trust. Chemistry was a challenge because four quarterbacks have started over the past 17 games. And trust grew shaky with a coach whose expertise was in directing the other side of the ball. The lack of cohesion was never more apparent than during last season's Oct. 22 loss to Green Bay, when Joey Harrington attempted 62 passes and Chambers had just two catches for 29 yards.

With Daunte Culpepper's future in doubt as the Dolphins pursue Kansas City's Trent Green, the quarterback situation appears as unstable as it was last season. But the trust factor has been resolved, Chambers said.

Chambers takes comfort in this fact: When Cameron was the coordinator in San Diego, his offense was just as prolific when it was run by Philip Rivers last season as it was when Drew Brees ran it in 2005.

The Chargers led the NFL in scoring (30.8) and were fourth in total yards last season. The Dolphins were 29th in scoring (16.2) and 29th in total yards.

KNOWLEDGE DAILY

''I'm working for a guy who's used to his offense scoring, who's used to having the most productive system in the league,'' Chambers said. ``In the past, you got away with doing some things wrong and no one says anything, oftentimes. Now, you have guys nitpicking everything. You get knowledge every day. If you get just this much better, you can be great.''

Chambers describes his new role in the offense as ''freedom.'' His goals are to finish with close to 80 catches and 10 touchdowns and help the team break its six-year playoff drought.

''It gives me an opportunity to play fast and be explosive, and that's what I've always wanted,'' he said.

Az-Zahir Hakim, a veteran receiver who spent last season in San Diego, followed Cameron to Miami and signed as a free agent in March. Hakim said the offense is ''perimeter-friendly'' and should be a perfect match for Chambers' versatility.

''I see a guy who shows up every day excited to see what's going to be on the table next,'' Hakim said of Chambers. ``I don't know where things stood with [Miami's] offense last year. But this offense speaks for itself. . . . If you accept it, it'll get the best out of you.''

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Ginn to report June 7th

2007-05-28T16:38:00.001-05:00

Rookie Ginn set to report June 7

By Harvey Fialkov & Alex Marvez
Staff and Wire Reports
Posted May 28 2007

Dolphins first-round receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr. is scheduled to report June 7, one day before the start of the next minicamp.

Ginn, a junior at Ohio State, declared for the draft early. Due to NCAA rules, Ginn isn't allowed to officially report until his class graduates June 7. Ginn is nursing a sprained foot, but Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said Friday that receivers coach Terry Robiskie has been told everything is "positive."

Ginn, one of five draft picks still unsigned, will miss the upcoming week of organized coaching sessions for rookies.

"He's allowed to have playbooks and that kind of stuff," Cameron said. "He's coming here as a returner first. He'll need to do a lot of studying for that. And then a receiver and he'll learn. Like I said, we've been through this with other guys."

JOINING UP WITH TITANS?

The Dolphins are considering an offer to conduct joint preseason practices with the Titans in Nashville, Tenn., a source said. The sessions would likely take place the first weekend in August.

The Dolphins and Titans conducted joint practices in 2002 and 2003 in Nashville under then-coach Dave Wannstedt but Nick Saban opted against working with another team the last two preseasons. Some coaches embrace the idea of practicing with another club because it breaks the monotony of training camp and serves as another measuring stick for evaluating talent.

The Dolphins will begin camp in late July in Davie and open their preseason schedule Aug. 11 against Jacksonville.

INFORMANT NAMES VICK

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is "one of the heavyweights" in the sport, ESPN reported.

The network Sunday cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called "extremely reliable."

"That's who bets a large dollar," the informant said on the show Outside the Lines. "And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

When asked how he knows Vick bets that amount, the informant said, "because I've seen it." The informant said his dog beat Vick's dog in 2000, the year before Vick was chosen by the Falcons with the first pick in the draft.

Investigator David Hunt said information from the informant has "resulted in the arrest of several individuals during the past few years, numerous search warrants, as well as convictions."

Surry County (Va.) Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter said he is confident charges will be brought in the probe of a possible dog-fighting operation at a house then owned by Vick. Dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.

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Open To Anything?

2007-05-27T09:38:00.001-05:00

Cameron keeping open mind on QB situation

By Matt Baker and Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 26 2007

DAVIE · Dolphins coach Cam Cameron indicated Friday that if Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green were to join the team, that wouldn't necessarily mean Daunte Culpepper would immediately leave.

"He hasn't been on the field," Cameron said of the sidelined quarterback. "He hasn't been 100 percent. ... For me to make an evaluation on a guy I've never seen play with my own two eyes, I'm not going to go there."

At the team's organized coaching sessions last week, Culpepper took snaps from center and practiced in 4-on-4 team drills. But he watched from the sidelines Friday as quarterbacks Cleo Lemon, Gibran Hamdan and rookie John Beck took turns leading the offense.

Culpepper and Cameron said the reduced role had to do with the types of drills the team ran rather than a setback in his knee rehabilitation, and that Culpepper plans to be ready for more participation at the June 8-10 minicamp.

"Everything's a go as far as I know," Culpepper said. "I'm going to see Dr. [James] Andrews in the next couple of weeks for a little bit more clearance, but at the same time my mind is still the same, still going forward."

STILL NO GINN

First-round pick Ted Ginn Jr. was not permitted to attend practice because he hasn't graduated from Ohio State yet.

Anthony Gonzalez, the other Buckeye wide receiver drafted in the first round, practiced Thursday with the Indianapolis Colts because he graduated in December, according to NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis. Ginn, a junior, is nursing a sprained foot, but he's expected to rejoin the team in time for the next minicamp. The veterans are off for the next 10 days, while the rookies will return Tuesday. ...

The Dolphins signed sixth-round fullback Reagan Mauia to a four-year deal and have signed five of their 10 draft picks.

TALK WITH BIG DADDY

Cameron said the Dolphins finally reached veteran defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson by phone, but he's still uncertain whether he will retire.

"There's some things going on there that they have to work out," Cameron said of Wilkinson, who voided a trade to the Broncos after he didn't report. ... Backup running back Lorenzo Booker, who signed a four-year, $2.1 million contract Thursday, is a self-admitted momma's boy. "The only thing I'm excited about is my mom doesn't have to do anything," Booker said. "[My family] won't have to worry about stuff that normal people shouldn't have to worry about -- paying rent, going to the doctor."

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Hadnot No longer Center

2007-05-27T09:37:00.001-05:00

Cameron switches Hadnot to right guard

By Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 26 2007

DAVIE · The evolving and revolving Dolphins offensive line took another spin when coach Cam Cameron announced incumbent starting center Rex Hadnot is now the starting right guard.

"Rex Hadnot can be as good a guard as I've been around, and that's a big plus for us," Cameron said after Friday's practice session, which was closed to the public. "If that light comes on there, look out, because we'll have us a heck of a player at right guard."

Hadnot, 25, has plenty of experience at guard, including his first three seasons at the University of Houston as well as most of his first two seasons with the Dolphins. Hadnot was moved from right guard to center for the final three games of the 2005 season, before starting all 16 games there last year.

At its current makeup, all five positions on the offensive line will be filled by different players from last year's season-opening starting unit.

Hadnot joins left tackle Vernon Carey, who played right tackle last year, left guard Chris Liwienski, right tackle L.J. Shelton and either rookie Samson Satele or Johnathan Ingram at center. Shelton was moved from left tackle to right guard for the final 11 games last year.

Hadnot, who has missed a few practices with a sore back, is attempting to plug a hole occupied by four different players last season: Bennie Anderson, Kendyl Jacox, Damion McIntosh and Shelton.

Hadnot's shift back to guard creates an opening for Satele, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound second-round pick from Hawaii. He anchored a line that led the nation in total offense, passing offense and scoring last year.

Cameron praised Ingram, 26, an undrafted college free agent who toiled in the Kansas City Chiefs' organization since 2003. He played in four regular-season games, all in 2005, and started at center his final two years at San Diego State.

Dolphins offensive line coach Hudson Houck wants his linemen to learn multiple positions. Cameron said the 6-2, 325-pound Hadnot was a little large for center but the right body type for guard. Cameron also said Hadnot will still be making several calls from the guard slot.

"The center's still going to make the calls, but, hey, our center, whoever that winds up being, will be the first guy to make the wrong call, and the guard can say `Hey, hey, hey,' and they'll switch it," Cameron said.

"And, along those lines, in the shotgun, it's a huge bonus for when that center has his head between his legs in the shotgun, the right guard can become his eyes. And so now he can make the calls on the shotgun."

Cameron has given Liwienski the starting nod at left guard after a brief competition with Dan Stevenson.

"Liwienski's given us a steady veteran -- comes to work every day, is a pro, knows how to play the game," Cameron said. "He's played on some winning teams."

Liwienski, 31, came in as an unrestricted free agent from the Cardinals in March. He was a key member of the Vikings' line that protected quarterback Daunte Culpepper from 2000-04 when he earned his three Pro Bowl berths.

Harvey Fialkov can be reached at hfialkov@sun-sentinel.com

Culpepper...

2007-05-27T09:32:00.000-05:00

Culpepper cautions QB Green

BY BARRY JACKSON AND JEFF DARLINGTON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper said Friday he has not asked the Dolphins to clarify his status despite reports that he likely will be traded or released after the team acquires Trent Green.

Meanwhile, Culpepper cautioned that ''it's not going to be a cakewalk'' for Green -- or any player -- who joins the Dolphins.

Green said this week that he wants to play for the Dolphins and believes he would be given a ''much more fair chance'' to win the starting job in Miami than in Kansas City.

Culpepper, asked about Green's comments, said, ``For a guy, for anybody who thinks that whatever their situation is where they're at and they're coming here, and it's going to be peaches and cream, that's not the case.''

Culpepper said he hopes he's given a chance to compete for the starting job in training camp but indicated he feels no urgency for the Dolphins to tell him whether he's in their plans.

''It's not bothering me one way or the other because I know I'll be healthy,'' he said. ``As long as I'm healthy, I'll be fine. I feel I'm going to be a great player in this league. . . . Nothing has changed in my mind until somebody tells me different. I'm the quarterback of this team.''

Culpepper continues to participate in some on-field work and expects to do more during the mini-camp June 8-10.

Culpepper said he's ''close'' to 100 percent but not there yet.

''I'm getting stronger and better every day,'' he said. ``I really want to do more, but I want to be smart about it.''

Again asked about Culpepper's status, coach Cam Cameron remained noncommittal.

''For me to make an evaluation of a guy I've never seen play with my own two eyes, I'm not going to go there,'' Cameron said.

``I feel like I've been around enough quarterbacks, and that's the way you do it. That's what serves the player and us the best.''

But what if the Dolphins feel they need to make a decision before he's 100 percent?

''You don't necessarily,'' Cameron said.

O-LINE SHIFTS

Just one month after the Dolphins decided to shift Vernon Carey from right tackle to left tackle, Cameron said Thursday he has made another significant adjustment to the offensive line.

Rex Hadnot, who started every game at center last season, has been moved back to right guard, Cameron said Friday. Rookie Samson Satele and Johnathan Ingram will compete for the starting center spot.

''Rex Hadnot can be as good of a guard as I've been around,'' Cameron said. ``That's a big plus for us. I'm looking forward to seeing his development. The sky is the limit for him as he grows and matures.''

Hadnot actually spent most of his first two NFL seasons at right guard before being moved to center during training camp in 2006, when he swapped spots with former Dolphins lineman Seth McKinney.

Cameron was adamant about Hadnot's potential at right guard, noting he is extremely natural at the position despite his ability to also play center.

ANOTHER SIGNING

The Dolphins secured another draft pick Friday, signing fullback Reagan Mauia to a four-year contract. Mauia, a sixth-round selection from Hawaii, is the fifth player to sign in the past three days. The team has signed half of its 10 rookies

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How will Sabans Draft Do?

2007-05-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Third-year measure awaits for Saban's first Dolphins draft

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas has a theory: ``The third year is the year you see the most improvement with most players.''

If true, this season should be telling for Nick Saban's strong first draft class. The Dolphins believe Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder are capable of more, want to see their faith in Matt Roth justified and need a strong comeback from Travis Daniels. What people are saying:

• Daniels asserted he's ''300 percent better'' than last year, when he missed four games, allowed 28 negative plays (catches or penalties) out of 48 balls thrown toward him, and lost his starting job.

''My ankle bothered me every game last year, but I'm fine now. Teams should have gotten me last year when I was hurt. I was just running around before. Now I can outsmart guys.'' Some view Daniels as merely a No. 3 corner, but more will be needed if Andre' Goodman's shoulder isn't ready by opening day.

• After watching Roth get 3 ½ sacks and force three fumbles in the final seven games, the Dolphins decided he was ready to start and dumped Kevin Carter. ''Matt's body of work spoke for itself,'' GM Randy Mueller said.

Anticipating more snaps, Roth took up martial arts to improve conditioning and speed. ''He's ready to step up,'' Thomas said. ``The first couple of years, he had a motor but didn't know where he was going. He can be a beast.''

• The Dolphins still see untapped talent in Crowder, whose 104 tackles were second to Thomas' 165. ''No question, he has Pro Bowl potential,'' Mueller said.

Crowder said ''great players make plays you're not supposed to'' -- and doesn't think he does that enough. He has only one career sack, though he often drops in coverage. Coordinator Dom Capers loves Crowder's skills but wants growth in some pass coverages and to see him ''close under control in the open field.'' Crowder has bonded with Joey Porter, who sees similarities: ''He plays with a chip on his shoulder, like me,'' Porter said.

• Cam Cameron told Brown he's determined ''to get my full potential,'' and Brown envisions being used more like San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, who had 50 catches in Cameron's offense last year. (Brown had 33.)

Told to reduce his body fat percentage, Brown says his first two seasons were merely ''decent'' and has drawn motivation from Phil Simms' comment that he lacks the ''wow'' factor. ''I have a lot to prove.'' He studied tapes of Tomlinson and plans to talk to him: ``I want to achieve some of the things he has.''

So how did Brown's 4.2 rushing average compare with great backs in Year 2? Tomlinson averaged 4.5, Edgerrin James 4.4 and Shaun Alexander 4.3. ''Brown's a good back, but I don't know if he'll be a great back,'' Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson said. ``Year 3 is a turning point.''

Another Hall of Fame back, Gale Sayers, predicted: ``Brown will last 10 years and maybe make the Pro Bowl one, two or three years. Can you say he will be a superstar? No. But he has good size, speed, quickness and he's strong.''

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Charlie Leigh Day Yesterday

2007-05-27T09:27:00.001-05:00

Albany honors son who always returned

Family, friends, NFL teammates turn out to dedicate football field to Charles Leigh Sr.

By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Sunday, May 27, 2007

ALBANY -- The way the story goes, football scouts came to look at Freddie Leigh and instead found themselves smitten with his powerful kid brother with the flashy moves.

Charles Leigh Sr. would later parlay that athletic prowess into a National Football League career, including being a part of the history-making undefeated season with the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Straight from Albany High School to the pros. All without playing a down of college football.

The man known as Tinky lost his battle with lung cancer last fall.

On Saturday, the city that Charles Leigh Sr. never forgot threw a party for him and renamed Bleecker Stadium football field on Clinton Avenue in his honor.

Many of his immediate family, friends and even former teammates attended the gathering, which included the unveiling of his No. 23 jerseys from his playing days in Cleveland, Miami and Green Bay. They will now hang in the lobby of the stadium's locker room.

The Albany native played six years in the NFL and was a punt returner for the Dolphins. After his playing days, he came back to Albany, worked for the city and coached high school football.

Charles Leigh Jr. of Harlem recalled how his father joked that when he died, the funeral would have to be held at the Palace Theatre to hold everyone he knew. That's just what happened after Leigh died Oct. 26.

The 41-year-old Leigh says no matter where he went, his dad spoke proudly of his roots in the Arbor Hill neighborhood.

"If you do that, your city will never forget you and will always support you," said Leigh, adding that he hopes his father's achievements and humility will set an example for those in his hometown -- especially the younger generation -- to pursue their dreams.

Charles Leigh Sr.'s widow, Marie, said she felt her husband's spirit in the field that now bears his name and hosts Albany High School football games.

Al Jenkins, who played with Leigh on the undefeated Dolphins team, said Leigh was a big part of their perfect season.

"He could run, hit, tackle and block, all the fundamentals," said Jenkins, who also played with the Browns. "We were a family."

Jenkins also recalled that Leigh couldn't wait to get back to Albany when the football season ended.

Raymond Leigh said his older brother treated everyone the way he wanted to be treated.

"He received respect from all because he gave respect to all," he said.

Paul Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.

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Hadnot Moved To Guard

2007-05-25T16:51:00.001-05:00

Dolphins' Hadnot moved from center to guard

By Matt Baker
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted May 25 2007, 1:18 PM EDT

DAVIE - Dolphins offensive lineman Rex Hadnot has been moved from starting center to starting guard, coach Cam Cameron announced after practice today.

"He's our right guard," Cameron said simply.

Hadnot began his career with the Dolphins as a right and left guard in 2004 but started the last 19 games at center after moving there for the final three games of 2005. He played guard for his first three years in college at Houston before playing center his senior season.

"Rex Hadnot can be as good a guard as I've been around, and that's a big plus for us," Cameron said. "If that light comes on there, look out, because we'll have us a heck of a player at right guard."

Hadnot joins left tackle Vernon Carey, left guard Chris Liwienski, right tackle L.J. Shelton and either Johnathan Ingram or rookie Samson Satele at center on the starting offensive line.

Four different Dolphins played right guard last year: Bennie Anderson, Kendyl Jacox, Damion McIntosh and Shelton, who started the last 11 games at that position.

Staff writer Harvey Fialkov contributed to this report.

Matt Baker can be reached at mwbaker@sun-sentinel.com.

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Shula Likes?

2007-05-25T14:09:00.001-05:00

Shula encouraged by Miami's new leader

The coaching great, touting blood-pressure awareness, sounds off about the Dolphins.

Tania Ganguli | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted May 25, 2007

Robert Rumery stood in front of Don Shula on Thursday morning during a blood-pressure awareness event in Florida Hospital's lobby.

"I used to be a Dolphins fan," Rumery said, "until that moron took over."

He didn't specify to which moron he referred. But the white-haired hospital volunteer was one of several Miami Dolphins fans, mostly hospital employees, patients and friends or family of patients, who gathered at Florida Hospital to meet with the legendary former Dolphins coach. Shula is a spokesman for the national BP COACH Approach, a national campaign to raise awareness about managing high blood pressure.

Between signing autographs for some giddy and some grumpy fans and stopping for photo opportunities, Shula sounded off about the state of the Dolphins, the coaches who succeeded him, the NFL's code of conduct and the way Alabama treated his son.

Shula coached the Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, winning two Super Bowls and coaching his team to the NFL's only undefeated season in 1972.

Glenn Oliver, a 46-year-old engineer from Melbourne, thanked Shula for meeting him and his brothers in a restaurant when he was in fifth grade.

The Dolphins have not been to the Super Bowl since the 1984 season and have not reached the AFC title game since 1992.

Since Shula's tenure, they've had four coaches -- Jimmy Johnson (1996-1999), Dave Wannstedt (2000-04), Jim Bates (2004), and Nick Saban (2005-06). Miami hired Cam Cameron this season.

"Jimmy Johnson was a disappointment," Shula said. "Saban was a disappointment, Wannstedt. They've hired a coach now that's what they need, I think. He's offensive-minded."

Alabama fired Shula's son, Mike, as head football coach, then hired Saban, who had repeatedly stated he wasn't going to Alabama.

"Nick Saban said a lot of things that weren't true; when you do that you lose all credibility," Shula said. "I like the change that's taking place. Fans are going to be able to believe what they hear."

Don Shula also said his son wasn't given a fair chance at Alabama.

"I was disappointed with the way it was handled," Shula said. "This would have been the first year he was on a level playing field. He inherited a lot of restrictions [because of NCAA sanctions]."

Shula also spoke about the NFL's increasing enforcement of its code of conduct, something Shula said is a good way for Commissioner Roger Goodell to make his mark. He said Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, who reportedly failed a drug test last month, needed to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

"When the guy plays he's a great player," Shula said. "When he's away from football, his mind wanders. He's in India with an elephant looking for who knows what. He's into yoga. All those things are a distraction."

At the hospital, Carol Holcomb, a football fan who moved to Florida in 1966 when she was in her 20s, began to smile and shake when Shula returned from a break to the table where he signed autographs.

"Coach, you were the only coach in the history of the NFL to have an undefeated season," Holcomb said proudly.

She repeated that a few times throughout the conversation.

"Here's the ring," Shula said, pointing to the 1972 Super Bowl ring on his hand.

He doesn't wear the 1973 ring because it has two diamonds on it that look like eyes looking up at him.

"The Dolphins' fans are a proud group of fans," Shula said. "They enjoyed having something to cheer about."

Tania Ganguli can be reached at tganguli@orlandosentinel.com.

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Beck Story

2007-05-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

QB John Beck: a Fish story

Former BYU player brings passion for the game and a rifle of an arm to NFL

By Dave Hyde
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Article Last Updated: 05/25/2007 02:54:52 AM MDT

PROVO - Under the Wasatch Mountains, along the Provo River, on his last Saturday in Utah, the newest Dolphins quarterback taps the brakes of his Ford truck and points through the mud-speckled windshield to some favorite spots.
    ''I've caught some nice rainbow trout right there at that bend,'' John Beck says.
    Tap.
    '''. . . Down there, you wade in up to your waist and cast back into the rocks near the shore. Get here early in the morning, 5 or 6. You get some nice 20-, 21-inch trout.''
    One side of his back seat holds the gear Beck uses for twice-a-day workouts with Brigham Young teammates getting ready for NFL camps: footballs, cleats, gym bag. The other side overflows with fishing gear: rods, reels and a tackle box that carries the hand-tied flies he has used along this river for the past four years.
    Meet the quarterback who isn't Brady Quinn. The Dolphins couldn't have found a much larger gap in style. Quinn is Hollywood; Beck is Huck Finn. Quinn drives a Hummer; Beck drives a pickup truck. Quinn proclaimed loudly he should be the draft's first pick; Beck's proclaimed only that teams would get his best.
    Quinn was the poster child of ESPN's draft coverage even before he became the unwitting focus of millions of viewers for several, stagnant draft-day hours while being passed over by the likes of the Dolphins.
    Beck sat in his condo that day. The only media present was a photographer from Boys' Life magazine.
    So no one heard the story line about: an Eagle Scout who doesn't touch alcohol but played his sophomore year at Brigham Young with a separated shoulder that was numbed with Novocaine each Saturday; a Mormon missionary who was the Mountain West Conference's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior while secretly playing on two sprained ankles, his right one so bad it was put in a boot every week; the son of a national pole-vault contender and father of a baby boy named after former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer.
    But this drive on his last Saturday in Utah isn't to channel Grizzly Adams. It's to walk down aisle 11 at the local store.
    ''Diapers,'' he says.

    A gym rat

    As Beck returns to his condominium, the baby is asleep, his younger sister, Anna, is studying on the couch and the NFL Network is on the high-definition TV. It carries the NFL Europe game of Rhein vs. Frankfurt. But it could be showing anything. This channel is always on.
    ''And I mean, always,'' his wife of three years, Barbara, says, smiling as she rolls her eyes.
    ''I tell her it's like a business person watching those business channels with the stock ticker that runs across the bottom,'' he says.
    Until he needed the memory for draft day, Beck had a taped library of NFL Network profiles of players called In My Words. Steve Young. Dan Marino. Jake Plummer. Troy Aikman. Jerry Rice. He studied them, too. Phil Simms, for instance, tells the story of rocketing balls so hard in his first minicamp until he realized it was more important for receivers to catch them.
    This is one of the personality quirks the Dolphins appreciate in Beck. ''A gym rat,'' General Manager Randy Mueller called him on draft day. And while the term applies to the time Beck spends doing the actual work - practicing, working, watching film - it also covers his general thirst for football.
    Example: During lunch every day, Beck reads the Dolphins' playbook. Example: Curious about legendary coach Paul Brown, Beck ordered and read his autobiography. Example: Watching Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward play, Beck implemented Ward's hand signals for his youth team. (Fifteen years later, ask him the hand signal for a post-corner pattern, he'll waggle it for you).
    ''In my house growing up, we'd play football Friday night, do chores Saturday morning and then watch college games the rest of the day,'' he said. ''On Sunday, we'd go to church and then watch the NFL games. We had the (NFL Sunday Ticket) and three TVs would have different games.
    ''My dad would be saying, 'Did you see what he did there?' or 'Understand why that's what happened?' That's just how we watched games every week.''
    He is such a fan that, even now, he can throw 20-yard spirals left-handed while playing with two young nephews. This is a by-product of being a San Francisco 49ers and Brigham Young fan.
    ''I tried to become a lefty as a kid, like Steve Young,'' he said.
    Beck's arm strength was obvious from the time he threw a baby bottle up four rows in church. As a high-school junior growing up in Mesa, Ariz., he led his football team to the state semifinals and could throw a baseball from home plate over the left-field fence 315 feet away.
    Then he landed at Brigham Young. After not touching a ball for most of three years because of an LDS Church mission, injuries made him a freshman starter in the second game. This is the first thing Beck mentions when asked if he'd be content sitting in the NFL as a rookie quarterback.
    ''There's so much to learn when you go to the next level,'' he says.
    NFL scouts, unaware of Beck's ankle sprains his senior year, began questioning the arm strength of a kid who threw a football 75 yards one week back from his mission. Dolphins General Manager Randy Mueller heard the whispers. He watched Beck play the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon. That closed the subject.
    ''He looked like the varsity against the junior varsity,'' Mueller said.
    ''What you have to love is he played at such a high level while hurt,'' Miami coach Cam Cameron said. ''Everyone gets hurt in this game. And he didn't just play great. He didn't tell anyone.''

    Fun in the sun

    For some draft-day fun, Beck's family and friends wrote down the team they thought would draft him. That morning, he had told his wife, ''Hey, I think we're going to end up in Florida.''
    But for the draft-party pool, he chose Detroit. They had shown the most interest.
    But as teams ticked off through the first round, Mueller sent Beck a text message: ''Are you OK?'' Beck wrote back: ''My wife wants a tan, and I'm wearing flip-flops.''
    When the Dolphins' second-round pick arrived, Beck's phone rang with a 954 area code. The room erupted. After a minute of talking with a team scout, Beck blurted out, ''Are you guys going to take me or not?''
    Cameron took the phone. ''Do you think your wife and Ty are ready to live here?'' he asked.
    At one point last Saturday, as he looked up at the snow-capped mountains, Beck said, ''That's what I'm going to miss about this place. The mountains are picturesque.''
    He then smiled. ''But I've already bought a saltwater fly rod. I can't wait to try that out.''

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Rookie Signage!

2007-05-25T14:01:00.001-05:00

Booker, 2 other rookies sign with Dolphins

By The Associated Press
Friday, May 25, 2007

MIAMI - Running back Lorenzo Booker was one of three draft picks to sign four-year contracts Thursday with the Miami Dolphins.

Booker, a former Florida State star, was the Dolphins' third-round choice. They also signed punter Brandon Fields and linebacker Abraham Wright, both seventh-round picks.

The Dolphins have signed four of their 10 draft choices.

With 2002 NFL rushing champion Ricky Williams unlikely to rejoin Miami, Booker is expected to back up starting running back Ronnie Brown this year.

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Is the Super Bowl worth it For the City of Miami?

2007-05-24T14:19:00.001-05:00

Super Bowl: How much money is it really worth?

Super Bowl XLI brought more than 100,000 fans and $463 million in spending to South Florida, organizers said. Academics, however, warn against believing all the post-game hype.

BY DOUGLAS HANKS

dhanks@MiamiHerald.com

That's the final score for Super Bowl XLI according to a study released Wednesday by organizers. But the claim drew flags from academics questioning a Super Bowl's ability to generate that much of a financial boost.

More than 112,000 people traveled to South Florida for the Feb. 4 game, spending $298 million. Add in money spent during preparations -- and businesses spending their post-game windfalls in the local economy -- and the indirect benefit topped $463 million, according to the study by the Sports Research Institute in West Palm Beach.

Kathleen Davis, the study's author, pointed to a huge influx of affluent visitors spread out over one of the country's largest hotel markets. More than half of businesses polled said sales increased in the lead-up to Super Bowl, with the average gain approaching 40 percent.

''I can't say it was a perfect scenario,'' Davis said. ``But I can say a lot of people benefited.''

CRITICS DISAGREE

The report is sure to be a flashpoint in another contest that unfolds each year far from the Super Bowl sidelines: the sniping between game boosters and economists over the spending generated. Critics claim the National Football League overstates a Super Bowl's gains to encourage public subsidies.

A 2004 study of Super Bowls between 1970 and 2001, Padding Required, by two economics professors found the games generated a quarter of the dollars that boosters claimed. For last year's Super Bowl XL, Detroit's host committee released a study showing roughly $150 million in economic impact for the region. A rival study by Anderson Economic Group put the figure at just under $50 million.

Philip Porter, a University of South Florida economics professor, said $280 million in Super Bowl spending is too much for South Florida -- equaling 72 hours of total economic output throughout all of Miami-Dade County.

''In order to accomplish this, every sales line would have to double,'' Porter wrote in an e-mail. ``This is impossible. You'd have to sell twice as many cars, televisions, washers and dryers, etc., to accomplish this.''

Still, there's no doubt the game brought a major boost to the hospitality sector. Hotel taxes in Miami-Dade surged 15 percent in February and room revenues surged between 11 and 21 percent from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, according to state and industry data.

THE FINDINGS

The Super Bowl XLI report included a survey of nearly 3,000 attendees of the game and related events. Among the findings:

• Super Bowl XLI drew 112,403 visitors to South Florida. Of that, more than 41,000 did not hold game tickets. Roughly 75,000 people attended the Super Bowl.

• The average visitor spent $668 a day, compared to the current 2007 average of between $150 and $250.

• Nearly 10 percent of visitors arrived by private plane.

• A third of the local businesses surveyed boosted payroll during Super Bowl, and more than half saw sales increase an average of 38 percent. After Super Bowl, 21 percent said sales declined from ``normal wintertime levels.''

Pat Rishe, an economics professor at Webster University in St. Louis, noted that focusing on Super Bowl spending masks the event's true economic impact. Although the game drew huge crowds, it also kept other tourists away in South Florida's busy winter vacation season.

''No question the Super Bowl attracted more [economic] activity than otherwise would have been the case in Miami that weekend,'' Rishe wrote in an e-mail. ``But at the same time, Miami would not have been a ghost town either.''

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Green Misunderstands Herm?

2007-05-24T14:17:00.001-05:00

Chiefs coach says QB Green misunderstands him

By Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 24 2007

A day after disgruntled Kansas City quarterback Trent Green reiterated his desire to play for the Dolphins, Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said the two-time Pro Bowl player had misunderstood his intentions of wanting to "get younger."

"When I said we have to get younger, that doesn't mean I don't like veteran football players," Edwards said, according to the team-released transcript. "So let's not get this thing twisted. What I've done is open competition at a lot of different positions.

"Now, quarterback is obviously the main position on your football team and when you do that, you get this. I understand that. But at the end of the day, it's about production. ... I want to win games and whoever those guys are, those are the guys who are going to play for the Chiefs. Period."

After participating in the Chiefs' OTA practice on Tuesday, Green, 36, said he felt awkward around his teammates because of his uncertain future and that he wanted to be with the Dolphins, "tomorrow, to establish relationships."

Edwards bristled when a reporter asked if Green's highly publicized campaign to play for the Dolphins had become a distraction.

"If players can't handle distractions ... it's going to be tough for them to be very good in this league," Edwards said. "Are you kidding me? This is the offseason and we've had one practice and all of a sudden we think it's a distraction?" ...

The Dolphins signed rookie linebacker Kelvin Smith, the first of their three seventh-round draft picks this year, to a four-year contract Wednesday. Smith played four years at Syracuse where he totaled 316 tackles, including six sacks, and five interceptions.

The Dolphins have nine unsigned draft picks remaining, including first-round receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and second-round quarterback John Beck.

Keyshawn retires

LOS ANGELES · Keyshawn Johnson, who played a great game and talked one as well during an 11-year career, retired Wednesday despite several offers to continue playing.

He'll soon be expressing his strong opinions on ESPN.

"I wouldn't trade my career for anyone's," Johnson said at a news conference on the University of Southern California campus, where he starred before the New York Jets made him the first overall selection in the 1996 draft.

"I've done everything I wanted to do in my career," he said. "I just couldn't find one thing that could drive me back to playing football.

"As I learned from Bill Parcells -- the circus doesn't stay in town very long."

Johnson, 34, has agreed to a multiyear contract and will appear on several ESPN telecasts, including pregame shows on Sundays and Monday nights, and do some radio work as well.

Elsewhere

BENGALS: Suspended WR Chris Henry has passed his drug screenings, a Kentucky prosecutor and an attorney for the player said. Rob Sanders, the Commonwealth's Attorney for Kenton County, Ky., confirmed that lab analysis of Henry's drug tests came back negative.

FALCONS: Dozens of dogs seized in an investigation into possible dogfighting on Virginia land owned by QB Michael Vick likely would be euthanized if investigators determine they are fighting dogs, the Humane Society said. Sixty-six dogs were seized April 25 when police conducting a drug investigation raided the house, which Vick owned but said he rarely visited.

NINERS: San Francisco signed DE Jay Moore, inking their fourth-round draft pick from Nebraska to a four-year contract.

STEELERS: Pittsburgh released veteran P Chris Gardocki, less than a month after drafting Baylor P Daniel Sepulveda.

Sun-Sentinel wire services contributed to this report.

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First Draftee signed

2007-05-24T14:16:00.001-05:00

Dolphins sign first draft pick

By JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Dolphins linebacker Kelvin Smith, one of three seventh-round selection in this year's draft, became the first of the team's 10 selections to sign his contract. Smith signed a four-year deal Wednesday.

Late-round picks typically will get their deals done well before training camp, although the first-day selections usually won't sign until the final weeks.

Smith, a four-year starter at Syracuse, finished second in tackles in the Big East during his senior season (106) and had three sacks.

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Trent Green Q&A Sun-Sentinel Blog

2007-05-23T18:55:00.001-05:00

Trent Green Q&A

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green showed up at the first day of OTA sessions today and afterwards continued his campaign to get out of K.C. and onto the Dolphins.

This is the Chiefs team-released transcript of Green's media session.

Q: What do you think is holding up the trade with Miami?

GREEN: "I just wish that there was more communication. I know that Carl (Peterson) and Randy (Mueller) do talk and I'm more anxious than anybody else, more so from a family standpoint and a football standpoint as well. There are a lot of things that need to be cleared up in the next couple of months and I guess that I have a little more sense of urgency. The two sides are talking and I guess that's good that they are at least communicating still."

Q: You said that you would not be in a Chiefs uniform. What made you change your mind and come to OTAs?

GREEN: "It's different. Uniform means during the season. It's the off-season and I still have a responsibility to be ready to play wherever that is. My job is a professional football player and it doesn't do me any good to go out to Arizona or Florida and spend time at these workout facilities when you can do it right here. I have guys that I've had a relationship with for six years, guys that I'm used to throwing with and an offense that is similar to what we've done in previous years and similar to what they are doing in Miami, so there are a lot of reasons to be here. I'm just trying to work out and get ready for next season."

Q: Is an uncomfortable situation in terms of the end working out with the Chiefs?

GREEN: "There are other scenarios that could be much worse, but just the awkwardness of this. You look at the last six years and the things that we were a part of here, just the community, my family living here and the football part of it; there were obviously a lot of positive things that have happened over the last six years. I'm not looking to burn bridges in a lot of those arenas. This is a community that no matter where I go and play, that we could potentially come back and make our home. We have really enjoyed our six years here, it's a great community, it's a great place to raise a family and you never say never. From a family standpoint, if we go to South Florida and we fit into that community and our community involvement kicks in and our foundation kicks in and the kids enjoy it, then that is some place we think we could stay. Right now we've had such a good six years here that this is our intent and we'll just see where it all goes from here."

Q: If a deal is not worked out, would you think about retirement?

GREEN: "I'm still leaning on the fact that it is going to get done. I really haven't had that discussion with my family or my wife and I haven't had that discussion with my agent because I'm still banking on the fact that the deal that was made back in February would get done. I guess when that time comes I'll have to cross that bridge, but right now we're planning on the deal getting done."

Q: Is it important that you get to Miami to become acclimated with the system and players?

GREEN: "Cam Cameron is someone that I feel very comfortable with. He was my quarterback coach during my first two years in Washington when Norv Turner was the head coach, so that offense is basically the same. It's probably 80-90% the same as to what I have been used to the last few years, so there wouldn't be much of an adjustment from that standpoint. Obviously Terry Shea is there now, who I've been with in Kansas City, so there are a lot of things that would make that transition smooth. So when choosing the team, the best fit from an offensive standpoint was Miami and that's why we focused in on them and they focused in on me because I have a familiarity with that offense."

Q: As far as a time element, when do you think you need to be there?

GREEN: "I'd like to be there tomorrow because I value the off-season and relationships; trying to build relationships from a leadership standpoint and from an on-field and off-field presence there is a lot that can be accomplished in the off-season. If it doesn't work out, I know that there have been teams that have had success. If you look at San Diego in '92, QB John Friesz blew his knee out in the second or third game and they made the trade for QB Stan Humphries from Washington. He came in during week three or four of the preseason and they went on to win the division. It has been proven, at least in my experiences, but I hope it doesn't drag on that long for your sake and mine, but it is possible."

Q: Have you had any requests by the organization that you not participate in the OTAs?

GREEN: "No, they were completely fine with it."

Q: Do you think you will automatically be the starting quarterback in Miami or do you think that you will face competition there as well?

GREEN: "(Miami) has never said, 'you're the guy and come right in.' They haven't discussed with me what the QB Daunte Culpepper situation is; they haven't told me one way or another. I just know that I would have a much more fair chance, because here it's obviously weighted. (In Miami), because of my knowledge of the offense and the quarterbacks that are there and their knowledge of the offense, I just think that it would be a much more fair competition."

Q: What is the hold-up on the deal getting done?

GREEN: "I wish that I could tell you. The Chiefs don't feel that it's fair compensation and the Dolphins are like, 'well, you've expressed to everybody in the league that your intentions are to go younger and move on in a different direction from Trent,' so the Dolphins feel like they have leverage and the Chiefs feel like they have leverage. So I guess that's the hold-up."

Q: Is Miami the only team that you want to go to?

GREEN: "That's the only team that we've come to a contract agreement with. We haven't even gotten into contract talks with other teams."

Q: If something didn't happen with Miami, would you be interested in going to Cleveland?

GREEN: "A lot of those situations were done before the draft and now that the draft has happened, a lot of those needs have been met or trades have been made. It seems to me that the most logical fit is Miami."

Q: Have your conversations been awkward with Brodie?

GREEN: "I can't say that I've been in his shoes, but I do know that as a young player some of it can be overwhelming, so I've tried to keep my lines of communication open to him as much as possible. Just like I expressed a moment ago that I was frustrated about not knowing about things going on, so I called him to find out how much he knew that was going on and he didn't know anything, so I just told him. I just said, 'listen, I'm not going to keep anything from you that's going on, I'm going to let you know what's going on the whole way.' You have to know because you have to be able to get yourself prepared whether it is as the starter or the back-up, develop yourself as a leader and those types of things. Brodie has a lot of talent and can be a very good player in this league, he's just young and you don't gain that experience because they just say you are getting more reps in practice or that you are going to be the starter. Those are all things that have to come and I've been through quite a bit in my career, so I just try and share as much of that with him as I can. I've been very open to him in his time here that if he has any questions, I'm more than willing to share that with him. I'm not trying to volunteer information or overload him with information, but if there is some stuff that I can help him with in the process I don't have a problem with that."

Q: What do you think is fair compensation for a starting quarterback like yourself?

GREEN: "You start factoring in the age thing. Everyone wants to talk about your age and that Baltimore gave this for QB Steve McNair and he was a few years younger than I am at this time, so you try and get some play off that, but I don't know. Considering that the Chiefs have said what they have since February about where they want to go, they tend to lose of that leverage when they play their hand that quick. When they resigned Damon and say that they want to get younger it kind of shows their hand a little bit, so I don't know how it works out and that's what has been so incredibly frustrating. Everybody has expressed which direction that they want to go and it's just not getting done. That's really frustrating."

Q: What did you do today at practice? Did Herm give you reps or did you just stand around?

GREEN: "They came in and they told us right at the start that everyone was going to get reps. I went first, Damon went second, Brodie went third, Casey Printers went fourth and we all took the same number of reps. I took three plays and we just rotated through right on down the line. Tomorrow Damon will be first, Brodie will be second, Casey will be third and I'll be fourth. Every day we are going to shift around and that's how they said we are going to do it. They are going to try and keep it as even as can be and go from there. But it's not a ton of work going on, it's more seven-on-seven and routes vs. air and that kind of thing."

Do you think Green will be the Dolphins starting quarterback or do you think they'll wait for Daunte Culpepper to improve?

Harvey Fialkov
Sun-Sentinel Dolphins beat reporter

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/

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Did Saban Break Rules?

2007-05-23T14:02:00.001-05:00

Did Saban violate NCAA rule?

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Another day, another Nick Saban firestorm. The latest came Tuesday when canesport.com suggested Saban broke NCAA rules when he talked with South Florida recruits last week.

So did he? A strong case could be made that he did, based on three players' accounts and NCAA bylaws. But Saban likely isn't the only coach violating the rule.

Though the NCAA declined to comment on Saban, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said college coaches are permitted to evaluate high school players on their campuses between April 15 and May 31, but `` no contact may occur in this evaluation.''

According to the bylaws, ``contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete and their parents or guardians and an institutional staff member during which any dialogue occurs in excess of exchange of a greeting.''

Miami Krop linebacker Etienne Sabino told The Miami Herald that Saban talked with him about defensive schemes and told him he's ''the big physical type of linebacker'' Bama needs.

Saban's conversations with Miami Northwestern High juniors Marcus Fortson and Brandon Washington also could be perceived as more than a ``greeting.''

As reported in Sunday's Herald, Washington, a UM oral commitment, said Saban asked him if ''my heart was in Miami.'' Washington said he answered no. He said there's a good chance he will sign with UM but wants to visit other campuses.

Washington later told canesport.com that Saban ``was talking to me about different things, about coming to the summer camps, to come on an unofficial visit, see how things are in Alabama. He said I'm a great player.''

Fortson said he spoke to Saban for ''a few minutes'' and that Saban told him Alabama ``is a great place to get a degree.''

The NCAA wouldn't say if it would investigate the matter. But even if Saban is found to have violated NCAA rules, it likely would be deemed a ''secondary'' violation without any significant penalty. There was no comment from Saban and Alabama athletic director Mal Moore.

CHATTER

Despite precarious depth at running back, the Dolphins have shown no interest in free agents Corey Dillon and Stephen Davis and have been noncommittal with Chris Brown. Meanwhile, the team must hope third-round pick Lorenzo Booker's production matches his confidence.

Booker has called himself the ''most versatile back'' in April's draft and identified likely future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as a player with similar skills that he hopes to become: ``I create mismatches. That's important to line me up on a linebacker to make defenses pull their hair out.''

The question is whether Booker can carry a heavy load if Ronnie Brown is injured. ''He's natural finding a hole,'' draftnik and ex-Browns scout Russ Lande said. But ``size [5-10, 191 pounds] and durability are always going to be a huge question mark.''

• Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas makes one thing clear: ''We've got to quit looking for excuses,'' and stop fretting over ''all the drama'' like the Ricky Williams saga. After past bad breaks, Thomas admitted he would say, 'Oh, man, every year.' And now? ``I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to be a good leader.''

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Is it going to Happen?

2007-05-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

Green still wants deal to happen with Dolphins

By Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 23 2007

Trent Green's relentless publicity campaign to become the Dolphins' 2007 starting quarterback continued Tuesday as he addressed the media after participating in his first practice with the Kansas City Chiefs since trade talks began in late February.

"No, I don't," Green said when asked if he thought he'd be with the Chiefs this season. "I'm still holding out hope this deal gets done."

While Green again admitted that he and the Dolphins have come to terms on a contract, the Chiefs and Dolphins are still unable to work out a trade involving a future draft pick.

Green, who turns 37 in July, is anxious to relocate his wife and three young children to South Florida. He said that he is "frustrated" with the Chiefs for not living up to their word to trade him and that he feels "awkward" around his teammates.

"It's not only awkward for me and my family, but it's awkward for the guys in the weight room, in the locker room, on the practice field," Green said. "Every day people ask, `What's going on?' Guys don't know how to react to me, how to treat me."

If the Chiefs intend to deal or release Green, they're taking a risk by allowing him to participate in organized team activities because if he were to get injured they would have to guarantee his 2007 base salary of $7.2 million.

"I still have a responsibility to be ready to play wherever that is," Green said.

Green, who only started eight games last season after sustaining a head injury in the season opener, has no interest in backing up second-year quarterback Brodie Croyle or veteran Damon Huard.

"[The Dolphins have] never said, `You're the guy and come right in,'" Green said. "They haven't discussed with me what the quarterback Daunte Culpepper situation is; they haven't told me one way or another.

"[In Miami], because of my knowledge of the offense and the quarterbacks that are there and their knowledge of the offense, I just think that it would be a much more fair competition."

Green played for Dolphins coach Cam Cameron when both were with the Redskins and for Dolphins quarterbacks coach Terry Shea the past two seasons in Kansas City.

All four Chiefs quarterbacks, including Casey Printers, shared snaps equally Tuesday.

"[Green] looked great," said Chiefs guard Brian Waters said. "I think if you put him in position ... he's the better qualified quarterback on this roster right now."

ELSEWHERE

LEAGUE MEETINGS: The 2011 Super Bowl will be played at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas, where more than 100,000 fans will be able to watch the NFL's showpiece game. NFL owners voted for the North Texas group, which had Hall of Famer Roger Staubach lobbying on its behalf. The Cowboys' $1 billion stadium will open in 2009. During the NFL's one-day spring meeting, Commissioner Roger Goodell met with owners to review medical standards for managing concussions. That means protecting anyone who anonymously reports doctors pressured to clear players or players pressured to play. He said the league will work with the players' union, the NFL Retired Players Association, NFL Alumni Association, NFL Charities and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in an alliance to coordinate medical support for former players. He also talked about paring down the time it takes to complete the first two rounds of the draft. Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney said he doesn't think teams need 15 minutes per pick in the first round.

GIANTS: PK Lawrence Tynes was acquired from the Chiefs for an undisclosed conditional draft pick. The Giants lost their kicker in the offseason when Jay Feely signed with the Dolphins as a free agent.

JETS: DE Eric Hicks, a free agent who spent his first nine seasons with the Chiefs, was signed. Hicks, who turns 31 in June, ranks fifth on the Chiefs' career sacks list with 401/2, including a career-high 14 in 2000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Harvey Fialkov can be reached at hfialkov@sun-sentinel.com.

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Mauia Article

2007-05-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

Dolphins' Samoans 'A little different breed'

Reagan Mauia's unlikely path from overweight player to NFL draft pick is just one example of Samoan pride among four first-year Dolphins.

By JOSEPH GOODMAN

The Dolphins selected Mauia in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

He's proud of where he is, proud of where he came from and proud to tell the story of his journey.

It started on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, he got fat.

Mauia used to weigh 380 pounds -- pretty big, but especially big for a guy only six feet tall. He went on a diet, lost more than 100 pounds and became a fullback. Here's the secret to Mauia's diet: no sugar, no carbohydrates, extra helpings of dedication and Samoan pride. He now weighs 270 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and answers to the nickname ''Juggernaut,'' a reference to a comic book character who, once given even the slightest amount of momentum, can plow his head and body through any object.

There's more to Mauia's story -- struggle, self-discovery and running through walls -- but as for being a proud Samoan, well, that's kind of redundant.

It's like calling water wet or fire hot. What is the essence of pride? Mauia says Samoans consider themselves a warrior class of people.

''We're a little different breed,'' Mauia said. ``I really don't know how to explain it, but coaches see it.''

For Samoans, warrior pride is rivaled only by an unflinching family bond, which, in turn, is challenged only by brute strength and size. There are four players of Samoan heritage among coach Cam Cameron's new-look Dolphins: Mauia, offensive linemen Samson Satele and Tala Esera and defensive tackle Paul Soliai.

''What we've seen in these guys is that spirit of enthusiasm and that pride,'' Cameron said. ``When they step onto the football field they know they represent someone bigger than themselves. And that's important. We believe in that. We believe you play for something bigger than yourself, obviously the team. I think they play for family and have a lot of pride.''

Pride, unity and natural strength -- it's a combination that helped alleviate some of the Dolphins' draft-day guesswork. The Polynesian pattern is far from a coincidence for an organization attempting to revamp its blocking and reinvent its locker room chemistry.

Satele, Mauia and Esera each played for the University of Hawaii, and in drafting Satele (second round) and Mauia, the Dolphins doubled the organization's number of players taken from the school in its previous 41 drafts. Soliai played for the University of Utah and was drafted in the fourth round. Esera signed as an undrafted free agent.

''It's awesome having two teammates and another guy from American Samoa here, because then hopefully [Miami] will get a feel of how close we are -- Polynesians -- because we're very family-oriented,'' Esera said. ``Hopefully, guys will see that and it will rub off.''

In his eighth season as coach at Hawaii, June Jones has immersed himself in the Pacific islands' Polynesian culture. He said he has made it a priority to recruit players from the islands. Prior to his arrival, Hawaii featured just 19 of 105 players of Polynesian descent, couldn't win a game and had not had a player drafted in 11 seasons.

Hawaii finished the 2006 season 11-3 and did it with 76 players of Polynesian heritage. Five players were drafted by NFL teams -- a school record.

''I think the numbers show that there is some real truth and value to having this culture on your team,'' Jones said. ``The kids are very respectful by nature, and the Polynesian families respect their elders.''

SPORTS OF CHOICE?

About 30 players of Samoan roots represent a small collection of islands in the Pacific in the NFL. Only in recent years has football started to rival rugby as the sport of choice.

Through the years, more than 150 players of Polynesian descent have played in the NFL, including more than 100 of Samoan heritage. The population of American Samoa (57,291 according to the 2000 census) could fit comfortably into Dolphin Stadium, but according to one estimate, an ethnic Samoan is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American.

''Growing up, we didn't know organized football,'' Mauia said. ``Everyone just wanted to be Junior Seau. Even if you were playing quarterback you were Junior Seau.''

Seau might be the most famous NFL player of Samoan heritage to come through Miami but is by no means the most famous Samoan to play football in South Florida. That honor would go to Dwayne ''The Rock'' Johnson, who played defensive tackle at the University of Miami before launching his pro wrestling and acting careers.

South Florida's latest Samoan football players seem to be every bit as charismatic as Johnson.

The Dolphins used their third draft pick to secure Satele, a 6-2, 310-pound offensive lineman athletic enough to play guard or center. He has long hair, and when people pull it during games he gets angry.

''I'm like the Hulk,'' he said.

Soliai, a 6-4, 345-pound defensive tackle, was drafted in the fourth round. Born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Soliai moved to the United States after high school and enrolled at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

Originally an offensive lineman, he moved to defensive line upon transferring to Utah.

''Samoan culture is all about family,'' Soliai said. ``That's why we're here -- to help our families.''

Esera (6-3, 300 pounds) is the designated war chant specialist and, according to his college coach, is the group's natural leader.

''Esera should have been drafted because he's certainly good enough,'' Jones said. ``He was just a little sick during the [scouting] combine.''

A BIG SURPRISE

While Satele, Soliai and Esera each commands attention in the locker room, Mauia is the personality headliner and one of the biggest surprises of the NFL Draft. He had no expectations of being drafted. In fact, he said he would have been content with a chance in the CFL or Arena League. Instead, he's in the NFL. As Mauia likes to say, the Dolphins ''shocked the entire island of Hawaii'' when the team drafted the once-fat fullback in the sixth round.

''I wasn't supposed to be here,'' Mauia said. ``I'm just so grateful. This is what I've dreamed of, being a part of this.''

Mauia, who says he ''dinked around in high school'' before dedicating himself to football, wasn't even recruited by Hawaii. While playing junior college football in California, he fell in love with Hawaii's program after watching a video entitled Polynesian Power, a documentary narrated by ''The Rock'' about football in the islands. After watching the film, Mauia, born in American Samoa but raised in Stockton, Calif., was inspired to reconnect with his Polynesian culture.

''I just built up the nerve to call Coach [June] Jones,'' Mauia said. ``I took it upon myself to walk onto the team. I told [Jones] not to give me a scholarship if I didn't earn it. I wanted to earn it.''

He first played nose tackle for Jones but the coach moved Mauia to fullback after watching him play rugby one day before practice. Jones now calls Mauia ''the most powerful player I've ever coached'' and likens him to former NFL fullback Craig ''Ironhead'' Heyward. It's an interesting comparison considering Mauia once ran headlong through a wall. A homemade video of the feat can be found on YouTube. It's a senseless act of bravado but also serves as a metaphor. In another YouTube video, Mauia screams, ''Polynesian wrecking crew,'' as Esera slams his head through the same wall.

''It's all about the warrior's mentality,'' Mauia said.

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Dolphins Q&A Sun-Sentinel

2007-05-22T14:05:00.000-05:00

Dolphins Q&A with Alex Marvez

Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted May 22 2007, 10:53 AM EDT

Q: Do you like the majority of moves Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller have made?

A: Like "grading" the draft immediately after the picks are made, I don't think it would be fair yet to judge the Cameron/Mueller personnel decisions until the team actually begins playing some games. That being said, here are three moves that should be closely watched and will go a long way toward determining the club's success in 2007:

Giving outside linebacker Joey Porter $20 million in guaranteed money after a down season in Pittsburgh.

Switching Vernon Carey to left tackle after opting not to re-sign Damion McIntosh, even though he could have returned at a decent price for the position.

Signing an injury-prone tight end in David Martin while releasing Randy McMichael, who hasn't missed a start since being drafted in 2002.

Q: Wouldn't it have made sense to deal the No. 9 pick for a first-rounder next year and some additional picks this year? Even if they had only gotten the deal the Cowboys did for the 22nd pick, a high 2nd this year and a (presumably, this is the Browns we're talking here) high No. 1 next year in a stronger draft it would have been a good deal.

A: The situations with the Cowboys and Dolphins were very different. Dallas has a stacked roster and had another 2007 first-round selection (Anthony Spencer), which made it easier for the Cowboys to trade a pick that was much later in the first round than where the Dolphins were selecting. The Dolphins were willing to trade down from No. 9 but Mueller didn't receive what he thought was a fair enough offer to pull a trigger on a deal.

Q: What really happened with Vernon Carey during his rookie year with the Dolphins? Obviously, the guy can play. Why was he in the team's doghouse for an entire season?

A: Carey wasn't a favorite of offensive line coach Tony Wise, which slowed his development in 2004. Carey also has said that some of the team's veteran linemen weren't helpful in trying to show younger players like him and Rex Hadnot the ropes. Plus, Carey needed to improve his conditioning. Carey, who had started to emerge as a quality right tackle in 2006 under the tutelage of offensive line guru Hudson Houck, now faces the challenge of switching to left tackle.

Q: How much can we expect Kevin Vickerson and Steve Fifita to contribute this season?

A: Both will be hard-pressed to make the 53-man roster, although Vickerson and/or Fifita could potentially land a spot on the practice squad. Vickerson has flashed talent in each of the past two preseasons but has yet to appear in a regular-season game. The undersized Fifita was cut by the Dolphins during the 2006 preseason but re-signed earlier this year and allocated to NFL Europa.

Q: Is Channing Crowder ready to emerge as a Pro Bowl linebacker? I see a big things for his this season playing with Joey Porter and Zach Thomas.

A: It will be hard for Crowder to receive Pro Bowl consideration on a linebacker crew that has big names like Thomas and Porter. Crowder also has to post better numbers than he did in 2006 when it comes to generating more turnovers (he had one forced fumble) and sacks (one) while improving his pass coverage.

Q: Why doesn't the coaching staff give Daunte Culpepper a chance to play this season? If he's as healthy as he says he is, we should keep him and groom John Beck.

A: My impression is that Cameron wants a veteran with experience operating his offense at quarterback and Trent Green best fits the bill. Culpepper also is due to earn $5.5 million and would be pricy to keep as a backup. Plus, the Dolphins are trying to groom Beck and having Culpepper and Green on the roster (let alone Cleo Lemon) would reduce his snaps in practice and preseason games. Culpepper may very well be able to salvage his NFL career, but it probably won't be with the Dolphins. To me, the fact Cameron has refused to say that Culpepper is definitely in his team's plans for 2007 speaks volumes.

Q: Ronnie Brown is solid and Lorenzo Booker seems legit, but don't we need some veteran depth at running back?

A: The Dolphins aren't currently in the market for a veteran running back, as the team believes Booker can handle the backup role. Jesse Chatman, who was LaDainian Tomlinson's backup in San Diego in 2004, also has played well enough in minicamp to contend for a roster spot.

Q: Do you think at any point in the 2007 season, Cam Cameron will put rookie John Beck into the starting role? Maybe like the Titans did with Vince Young last year.

A: That is a good possibility, especially if the Dolphins are out of playoff contention. The need to get Beck on the field when he's ready at some point in 2006 is one of the reasons why it seems highly unlikely that Daunte Culpepper will return if the Dolphins acquire Trent Green from Kansas City as expected.

Q: Will David Martin and Ted Ginn have some teams thinking twice about putting eight guys in the box on every play? Also, shouldn't Ronnie Brown's stats improve greatly with Cam Cameron?

A: The entire offense should eventually improve under Cameron's tutelage, although it will take some time for players to become comfortable in his system. The additions of Martin and Ginn give the Dolphins speed that was sorely lacking in 2006.

Q: Why don't the Dolphins just release Ricky Williams already? He has no trade value and there's no chance of him playing here ever again. Will this franchise ever move on from this?

A: While it would send a positive message from a public relations standpoint, there are some legitimate reasons why the Dolphins aren't releasing Williams. The Dolphins have the right to cut Williams but the reason must be related to what an NFL spokesman says is "skill and ability." By cutting him now, Williams could file a grievance against the Dolphins by claiming the reason for his release was because of his recent setback in the NFL's substance-abuse program. If the Dolphins were to lose that grievance, the club would be responsible for at least a portion of Williams' future salary. It also would tie up money against the Dolphins' salary cap.

Please send questions to askalex@sun-sentinel.com

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Yeremiah Bell Signed

2007-05-22T13:57:00.000-05:00

Y. Bell signs tender offer with Dolphins

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

The long-term deal will have to wait. But for at least this season, Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell will stick with the team that drafted him in 2003.

Bell, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year tender offer with Miami on Monday after negotiations for a longer deal continued to stall.

However, after a promising second half to last season, equaled success this year could help spur those discussions.

''We're not close enough to continue those negotiations, but we're hoping at some point this season, we can find some middle ground and strike a compromise [on an extension],'' agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

Bell certainly has gained the Dolphins' respect after three seasons of continued progress. He actually is the only remaining player from 2003's disappointing draft class, which included eight other players no longer on the roster.

Last season, Bell broke into the first-team secondary after the fifth game. His presence -- mostly as a solid communicator -- immediately sparked the rest of the unit to better production.

Bell finished his best season with 68 tackles, two sacks and three forced fumbles.

''The Dolphins were very patient with him early in his career, and he's gotten better each year,'' Rosenhaus said. ``So he would certainly love to continue his career with the team beyond 2007. I think the feeling is mutual.''

For now, however, there was no reason to delay signing the tender offer. Because no team wanted to sacrifice the second-round pick necessary to land Bell's exclusive rights, he will earn $1.3 million, which is still respectable in proportion to his value to the team.

Quarterback Cleo Lemon is the team's only remaining restricted free agent who hasn't signed his tender offer. However, Lemon -- like Bell -- still took part in the Dolphins' offseason program by signing injury waivers to clear the team of any risks.

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Weekly Column: XXXPhins

2007-05-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

The QB position-

I read a article by ESPN the other day talking about the Dolphins are the only team who don't know who the starting QB will be in training camp or even who the 3 QB's will be on the opening day roaster. It sounds like we still have big problems with position still, but I disagree 100% and this is why.

We have options now. That is the main reason.

1.We have a young QB for the future which is something we haven't had sense a guy named Marino. He has a rocket arm, quick delivery, great completion %, and that "it" factor in my opinion. I'm not going to lie I was one of the guys on the Quinn wagon. I was one of the guys who at first thought they screwed up bad by passing on Quinn and taking Ted Ginn Jr. which is a whole column by its self.(which I hope someone writes about) I didn't know to much about this guy other then he's from BYU (which is pretty cool to me, because I'm a Mormon to) So I started to look into him a little (ok a lot) To my surprise I found out he had a lot better ratings then Quinn did, he won a lot of big games, and he put it the best in his opening press conference when asked about playing with the Dolphins with pictures of the great QB's of the past all over the place? His response was he's already been though that at BYU with Steve Young and Ty Detmer. I agree he'll handle the pressure fine and in time will be a great QB.

2.We have a young back up who knows the offense who even has some game time experience. Not much, but enough that I fill he could do the job for a little bit if called upon. He's even developed under our new head coach for 2 or 3 years before he came to us in a trade. I think he'll always be a back up QB, but he'll be ours for a while. I think he'll sign a very cap friendly deal to stay with the guy who gave him a chance in the first place.

3.This is where it gets wried. We could go with Culpepper the guy who has been to couple of pro bowls and is already on our team, but is still rehabbing the knee. (again) Also has never played in a system like Cam's before and will have to learn a new system again, Which will be his 3 or 4th in the past 4 years. I know last year was his old OC's offensive system, but we all know Murlaky (spl ?) had to change some things in it. Then there's Trent Green a pro bowler himself, but also has injuries he's recovering from and the worst the kind for a QB his age. Though he didn't start playing until later in his career so he still could have a year or two left in the tank. The best part about Green is he knows the system very well and could mentor Beck and even down the road become his QB coach if he wanted to.

So what do I think about the QB position this year? Call me crazy, but I think we are heading in the right direction finely for the first time sense Marino retired. I personally would hate to see Culpepper go, but I understand Green would be allot better QB for us right now and I believe we need to get a deal done for him, because he gives us the best chance to make a playoff run this year and also can mentor Beck and help groom Beck into a great QB for us. So he would be very valuable to us right now, but don't tell KC that ok. They may try to get Chambers from us or some stupid crap like that.

oh yea one more thing-
I told everyone Ricky would screw us over again. I'm just glad it happened now instead of after the 4th or 5th game. Sorry I had to!!!!!!!!!!!!

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For Technorati

2007-05-21T17:28:00.001-05:00

<a href="http://technorati.com/claim/uz9rkg8ux3" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>

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Pro Wrestler on the Dolphins?

2007-05-21T14:05:00.001-05:00

His 600 pounds are weighing heavily on wrestler 'Maximum Capacity' Stanco

By Alex Marvez
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 21 2007

Mike Stanco is a big guy. A huge guy.

"I've got a unique look," he says. "I think I can be something special."

By day, Stanco -- 6 feet tall, 600 pounds -- does accounts payable/receivable and payroll for a Fort Lauderdale drywall company.

But it's his moonlighting job as a pro wrestler that has earned him the name Maximum Capacity.

"He's one of the very unique people in the business," says "Fabulous" Frank Munguia, Stanco's manager and the promoter for Davie-based Division One Pro Wrestling.

Since 2000, Stanco, of Sunrise, has dished faux pain on the local "rasslin'" circuit and on tours of Japan and Austria. Among his career highlights: matches with established performers like Jerry "The King" Lawler and former Extreme Championship Wrestling kingpin Masato Tanaka.

"Most people my size can't do anything, and I'm wrestling. But it's catching up with me," says Stanco, 38. "For years, I thought I was invincible. I didn't think I'd ever get sick."

He's been hospitalized four times this year because of heart-related ailments and trouble with sores and diabetic ulcers that develop when too much fluid builds in his legs. And poor health has kept him from landing a spot with a major wrestling promotion, he says.

Still, he dreams of parlaying his girth into celebrity, even though he wasn't picked to appear on The Biggest Loser, a weight-loss reality show.

"How do you not pick me?" says Stanco, chuckling.

"He's not just your usual monster," Manguia says. "He not only looks imposing, he can talk."

After a recent match at Fort Lauderdale's Beach Place, Stanco talked about his heft, his health and fame.

On his legacy: "I'm not trying to be conceited, but I believe I'm the best big man this business has ever seen. Better than Yokozuna, Andre [the Giant], Big Show and all those guys. None of those guys are able to move the way I do inside the ring."

On being taunted: "When I'm in the ring, I love it for you to stare at me [and] call me every name in the book."

Out of the ring: "When I'm walking around and not wrestling, I hate when people look at me. I'm so self-conscious. I don't like people making remarks. I have a real problem with that."

On his appetite: "In one day, I know I've eaten more than 20,000 calories easy. I may have a McDonald's meal where I'll have four double cheeseburgers, two large fries and a 20-piece [McNuggets]. That's about 4,000 calories. Then if you get a bag of chips and a thing of juice, that's another 2,000."

On his relationship with food: "When you're this size and you have nothing, food is all you have. For 15, 20 minutes of eating, you know you're going to be sorry later. But in that time, you forget all your problems."

On fame: "It's not so much for the money. I love being popular. Love me or hate me, I don't really care. But I want you to talk about me."

Alex Marvez can be reached at amarvez@sun-sentinel.com.

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Jason Allen...?

2007-05-21T14:01:00.001-05:00

Dolphins CB Jason Allen's Mom Throws Eggs at Him

Posted May 21st 2007 12:00PM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Dolphins, NFL Gossip, Miami

BlownCoverage.com passes along a great story from the Miami Herald today about Dolphins cornerback Jason Allen and the way he's getting ready for the season, with a little help from his mom. It seems that when the two of them get together, she throws raw eggs at him, and he has to catch them. I guess it helps with his hand-eye coordination. First the quote from the mom:

''It's to see how good his hands are and his reaction time -- and that's my good sofa now,'' Cynthia Allen said. ``He better catch that egg every time because if it gets on my furniture, he don't want the ultimate football player on him. I'll tackle everybody.''

And the take on the story from BlownCoverage:

I mean, how great is that. I can already see Jason dropping an egg on his mother's nice sofa, followed by his mother jacking him up and driving him through the living room wall. Just planting the crown of her head right into his sternum as soon as the yolk touches that couch.

With off-field problems becoming a major problem for the league, NFL teams are increasingly saying they like to get young players from good families. A family with a mom who throws eggs at her son and tackles him when he drops them sounds like the perfect football family to me.

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QB Controversey

2007-05-21T14:00:00.001-05:00

Quarterbacks await their fate

By Edgar Thompson

Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Monday, May 21, 2007

Nearly 1,500 miles apart, two veteran quarterbacks - Miami's Daunte Culpepper and Kansas City's Trent Green - are linked in limbo.

Each former Pro Bowler is in an uncomfortable situation, trying to find out where he'll end up.

Culpepper continues to make progress during his recovery from two knee surgeries, while the Dolphins and Chiefs resumed trade talks recently about Green, a source said on Sunday.

For now, each is a relative outsider as his respective team goes through off-season activities.

Last week, Culpepper, 30, practiced in a limited capacity for the first time this spring and is expected to again during this week's organized coaching sessions. Beginning today, Green, 36, is scheduled to take part in the Chiefs' organized team activities, though they have told him they will rely on one of their younger quarterbacks - Brodie Croyle or Damon Huard.

But while South Florida is likely in the equation for Green, Culpepper has to prove he belongs in Miami.

Former Super Bowl MVP and current NFL analyst Phil Simms said Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowler in Minnesota, has to overcome a lot more than a devastating injury to his left knee that he aggravated last season with the Dolphins.

"I've always admired his talents as a quarterback," said Simms, who played 14 seasons with the New York Giants. "But there are two things just as important: Does the team believe in him, and does the offense fit him?

"He was a 10 in Minnesota in those two areas. Right now in Miami, on a scale of 10, the number's real low."

Culpepper's Dolphins teammates are rooting for him, but he lined up with the third team and didn't take any snaps in team drills.

"It's exciting, just as a man, knowing what he's gone through," said receiver Az-Zahir Hakim of Culpepper's participation. "It's exciting as a team, as well. It would be real beneficial for us."

First-year coach Cam Cameron said he wouldn't make any decisions on Culpepper's future until he's healthy enough for a fair evaluation.

But Cameron also has close ties to Green, who played for Cameron for two seasons when he entered the league in the mid-90s with the Washington Redskins.

Culpepper said he expects to be able to fully participate in the team's next mini-camp June 8-10.

"I feel a lot better right now than I did last year at this time," Culpepper said Friday. "Me not taking a lot of reps and me kind of stepping back and taking small steps is definitely going to benefit me in the end."

Former Ocala-Vanguard offensive coordinator Alex Castaneda, Culpepper's one-time mentor and longtime friend, said he expects his prized pupil to take a major step at the mini-camp.

"I think they're giving him a fair shot," Castaneda said. "I think the mini-camp will tell."

Castaneda said he and Culpepper speak regularly. They spent time together after Culpepper's adoptive mother, Emma Culpepper, died.

Castaneda said he approached Cameron at the May 12 funeral and told him "don't give up on (Culpepper)."

But the Dolphins continue to pursue a trade for Green, who missed eight games last season because of the effects of a concussion. Miami also drafted BYU quarterback John Beck with the 40th pick in last month's NFL Draft.

"Two plus two equals four," Simms said. "It's a tough situation."

Castaneda said Culpepper plans to make the Dolphins' quarterback decision even tougher.

"He has something to prove," Castaneda said. "If the Dolphins stick with him, they've done the right thing. If they give up on him, someone is going to prosper - and it won't be Miami."

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No Bad Behaving Players For Cameron

2007-05-20T15:05:00.001-05:00

HYDE: Cameron is done dealing with problem players

Published May 19, 2007

DAVIE · This is a column about a player's character, a team's success and Cam Cameron's belief how the two are intertwined, and it begins with this cautionary note: The first big-money move of this new Dolphins' era was to sign linebacker Joey Porter.

Porter arrived with behavioral questions. He promptly got into a very public Las Vegas fight that's still being sorted out by police. So you can believe what Cameron says or not. You can ask for more time to see how hard he believes what he says or not.

But understand this: Every Dolphins coach for decades, from upright Don Shula to shrewd Jimmy Johnson to nice-guy Dave Wannstedt to duplicitous Nick Saban -- every one of them clutched the same belief. They believed they could save a problem player.

The better the player, the harder they believed this.

Cameron doesn't believe.

"Fifteen years ago I did," he said. "[Michigan coach] Bo Schembechler would be kicking this guy and that guy off the team, and I'd be saying, `I could've saved him and him and him.'"

Here's what the older Cameron thinks: "I understand we all make mistakes. Good people make mistakes. Where I get concerned is where guys make repeat mistakes. That has been the indicator over the years that a guy doesn't get it.

"You look at all the experiences at the different levels of the game, and the guys that are character guys are the ones that usually make the big plays in critical situations to win games. And the guys you spend all the time on with off-field issues, more often than not -- they'll make a lot of plays over the course of a season or game -- but more often than not they'll let you down in critical situations."

He's sitting in his new office, the one where Shula, Johnson, Wannstedt and Saban once worked. In the bookshelves along one wall, there's a photo of former Dallas coach Tom Landry. There are dozens of books, many about disciplined coaches like John Wooden, Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes and Schembechler.

There's a framed poem by Gen. Douglas MacArthur called Build Me A Son that the father of an Indiana University player sent Cameron in appreciation. There's another framed poem about attitude called The Inner Voice. San Diego running back LaDainian Thomlinson handed it out to teammates and coaches.

These are solid citizens in his bookshelf, often rooted in another era, with whom Cameron relates. And this is instructive as Cameron relates why he doesn't believe in saving players like the other coaches once did at this desk.

"As a human being, I will do whatever I can to help a human being succeed and overcome whatever issues they have," he said. "When it comes to trying to win football games, I've had no success in that. Some guys have some improvements. But they've never made the improvements where they can still play at a high level.

"See, we're not just talking about turning someone's life around. We're talking about them also still playing at a high level. There's a difference. Because you can turn someone's life around. But what you see is it took so much effort for them to get themselves squared away, whether it be rehab center, counseling -- all these different things -- that it took away from their ability to play at a high level."

Cameron said he and General Manager Randy Mueller scratched off a "significant number" of players from their draft list because of character issues. For the first time since 2003, no drafted Dolphins player had an arrest. Another early move was to release Marcus Vick and Manny Wright, each of whom had off-field baggage.

New England has swung the other way this offseason. After preaching about intangible terms like character and chemistry on their way to recent Super Bowls, it got the tangled tangibles of Randy Moss this offseason.

Cameron doesn't dismiss exceptions like this. "You still have to do with what's best to give you a chance to win," he said. "In the short term, sometimes you'll take a risk.

"Truth be known, a team can probably handle one or two [problem players]. But you've got to be careful. Because one can become two, two becomes four and four becomes eight. Then look out, you've got a whole list of issues."

But the more Cameron talks, the more you understand the Dolphins will hand-pick fewer risky investments now. You don't have to agree with it. You can say if Jimmy had drafted problem child Moss and not problem talent John Avery, he'd have won.

Still, Dolphins fans should understand the pitfalls of high-maintenance players. In the past two decades wasted energy and effort has been invested to varying degrees on the varying problems of Tony Collins, Pete Johnson, Chuck Muncie, Bobby Humphrey, Lawrence Phillips, Jim Druckenmiller, Irving Fryar, Dimitrius Underwood, Tony Martin, Cecil Collins, Clayton Holmes, Johnny Mitchell, Eric Green, David Boston, Ricky Williams and Manny Wright.

When you study it, only one troubled player was worth the trouble: Irving Fryar.

As for Porter, Cameron said, "I think the world of him. I'm not minimizing anything he's done. But we're going to work with him and do everything he can to be successful on and off the field."

That sounds like any football coach defending any player with any problem. Maybe time will bear out Cameron is just that. But, for now, Cameron also sounds different than any coach who has sat in this office.

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com.

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Story on Beck

2007-05-20T15:04:00.001-05:00

HYDE: Beck on a mission to be the best

From Eagle Scout to quarterback: Dolphins second-round draft pick John Beck has been well schooled on and off the field.

Published May 20, 2007

PROVO, Utah -- Under the Wasatch Mountains, along the Provo River, on his last Saturday in Utah, the newest Dolphins quarterback taps the brakes of his Ford truck and points through the mud-speckled windshield to some favorite spots.

"I've caught some nice rainbow trout right there at that bend," John Beck says.

Tap.

"... And some there by the bridge ..."

Tap.

"... Down there, you wade in up to your waist and cast back into the rocks near the shore. Get here early in the morning, 5 or 6. You get some nice 20-, 21-inch trout."

One side of his back seat holds the gear Beck uses for twice-a-day workouts with Brigham Young teammates getting ready for NFL camps: footballs, cleats, gym bag. The other side overflows with fishing gear: rods, reels and a tackle box that carries the hand-tied flies he has used along this river for the past four years.

"You see from that seat how I spend my time," he says.

Meet the quarterback who isn't Brady Quinn. The Dolphins couldn't have found a much larger gap in style. Quinn is Hollywood; Beck is Huck Finn. Quinn drives a Hummer; Beck drives a pickup truck. Quinn proclaimed loudly he should be the draft's first pick; Beck's proclaimed only that teams would get his best.

Quinn was the poster child of ESPN's draft coverage even before he became the unwitting focus of millions of viewers for several, stagnant draft-day hours while being passed over by the likes of the Dolphins.

Beck sat in his condo that day. The only media present was a photographer from Boys' Life magazine.

So no one heard the story line about: an Eagle Scout who doesn't touch alcohol but played his sophomore year at Brigham Young with a separated shoulder that was numbed with Novocaine each Saturday; a Mormon missionary who was the Mountain West Conference's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior while secretly playing on two sprained ankles, his right one so bad it was put in a boot every week; the son of a national pole-vault contender and father of a baby boy named after former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer.

As he drives now, Beck has just returned from an early-morning fishing trip in the mountains. The wading pants are in the bed of the truck. He pulls out his cell phone and clicks through to a picture of one of the trout he caught.

He then clicks to a picture from last fall.

"There's a deer I got," he says.

He finds another picture from January.

"Here's a coyote I got," he says.

Each spring, he took his offensive linemen to his grandparent's ranch a couple hours away. Everyone drove four-wheelers, fished and hunted. That's how Beck brought them together.

But this drive on his last Saturday in Utah isn't to channel Grizzly Adams. It's to walk down aisle 11 at the local store.

"Diapers," he says.
And not just any diapers for young Ty. The new Dolphins quarterback smiles as he says, "Winnie the Pooh diapers."

A gym rat

As Beck returns to his condominium, the baby is asleep, his younger sister, Anna, is studying on the couch and the NFL Network is on the high-definition TV. It carries the NFL Europe game of Rhein vs. Frankfurt. But it could be showing anything. This channel is always on.

"And I mean, always," his wife of three years, Barbara, says, smiling as she rolls her eyes.

"I tell her it's like a business person watching those business channels with the stock ticker runs across the bottom," he says.

Until he needed the memory for draft day, Beck had a taped library of NFL Network profiles of players called In My Words. Steve Young. Dan Marino. Jake Plummer. Troy Aikman. Jerry Rice. He studied them, too. Phil Simms, for instance, tells the story of rocketing balls so hard in his first minicamp until he realized it was more important for receivers to catch them.

"I know the Chad Johnson one from memory, it was on so much," says Anna, a Brigham Young junior.

"Oh, man," Beck interrupts, watching a Rhein interception returned for a touchdown.

This is one of the personality quirks the Dolphins appreciate in Beck. "A gym rat," General Manager Randy Mueller called him on draft day. And while the term applies to the time Beck spends doing the actual work -- practicing, working, watching film -- it also covers his general thirst for football.

Example: Over lunch every day, Beck reads the Dolphins playbook. Example: Curious about legendary coach Paul Brown, Beck ordered and read his autobiography. Example: Watching Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward play, Beck implemented Ward's hand signals for his youth team. (Fifteen years later, ask him the hand signal for a post-corner pattern, he'll waggle it for you).

"In my house growing up, we'd play football Friday night, do chores Saturday morning and then watch college games the rest of the day," he said. "On Sunday, we'd go to church and then watch the NFL games. We had the [NFL Ticket] and three TVs would have different games.

"My dad would be saying, `Did you see what he did there?' or `Understand why that's what happened?' That's just how we watched games every week."

He is such a fan that, even now, he can throw 20-yard spirals left-handed while playing with two young nephews. This is a byproduct of being a San Francisco 49ers and Brigham Young fan.

"I tried to become a lefty as a kid, like Steve Young," he said.

Beck's arm strength was obvious from the time he threw a baby bottle up four rows in church. As a high-school junior growing up in Mesa, Ariz., he led his football team to the state semifinals and could throw a baseball from home plate over the left-field fence 315 feet away.

As a senior, he was Arizona's football Player of the Year and a star pitcher to the point Brigham Young's baseball coach later would lobby Beck to play every season. But his football education was interrupted between high school and Brigham Young for three-year education in Portugal, patience and life beyond sports.

Mission to Portugal

At 19, Mormon men are sent on missions for two years to spread the word. They have no say where they land. Beck's father, for instance, went to Brazil while two uncles landed in Fort Lauderdale. Beck was assigned to Portugal. That destination proved the easy part.

The timing was more difficult. Because he has an autumn birthday, Beck couldn't begin his mission until November of 2000. There went one football season. The next two falls consisted of doing a missionary's work: Waking up early, studying scripture, walking first through Lisbon and, later, the Azores island of Sao Miguel for hours each day; and discussing his religion with strangers using the Portuguese he learned.

"You get doors slammed in your face," he said. "But to have a good mission you put in the time and the work. No one's there to make sure you're out there for the hours. It's up to you. I wanted to have a good mission and so I made sure I did the work."
As his father, Wendell, says, "For learning about life and thinking of others, the mission is great. For football? Not so great."

Beck took a football on his mission but rarely touched it. Finding a worthy receiver was difficult. Finding motivation in a culture where football didn't exist was even more so. On one of the few occasions he did pass, Beck once overthrew his receiver. The football landed in a road, where a passing tractor promptly ran over it. End of game.

He stayed in shape, though. He ran each morning. He cobbled together a primitive weight set for a while. He then worked out with the kind of large rubber band that is popular in gyms. That, too, came to a memorable ending.

One day, as Beck worked out on a series of steps, a drug addict approached and said the steps were where he learned to do cocaine. The man then inexplicably pulled out a knife and slashed the rubber band into pieces. All of which added to the missionary experience but did nothing toward football.

"When I first got back home, I remember watching a Thursday night game on the television and thinking, `That's what I'm going to play?'" Beck says. "It seemed so weird just to see the ball thrown in the air and a receiver going up for it after two years away."

There was one positive to the mission regarding football: His body matured. For all his athletic achievement, Beck was a late bloomer ("He hates me to say it, but he didn't have hair under his armpits as a high school junior," his dad says).

Immediately upon returning from Portugal, Beck weighed himself: 178 pounds. That was only eight more pounds than when he left. But he couldn't eat meat there because of the mad-cow disease and was allergic to some seafood.

So as he began working out and eating, his body filled out. Besides Arizona State and Brigham Young offering scholarships, Beck had received a phone call from the University of Miami. Actually, his father did. Beck was still in Portugal when Miami coaches asked for film and then immediately demanded his answer.

"He was in no position to decide that in Portugal," Wendell Beck said.

He landed at Brigham Young. After not touching a ball for most of three years, injuries made him a freshman starter in the second game. This is the first thing Beck mentions when asked if he'd be content sitting in the NFL as a rookie quarterback.

"There's so much to learn when you go to the next level," he says.

Like that premature start, so much of his college career didn't follow script: three offensive coordinators, leading receivers leaving for missions each season, a head-coaching change that led to rebuilding with underclassmen and a scandal that took 14 players off the football team.

No other Brigham Young player was drafted (LSU's JaMarcus Russell, the draft's top picks, threw to two receivers who were first-round picks). Beck's unheralded coaching kept changing (Quinn was coached the final two years by Charlie Weis, who molded Tom Brady, leaving some NFL types to wonder if Quinn has reached his full potential).

Yet there were sparks of Beck's talent through college. As a sophomore, in their final four games of the season, Beck and Utah senior Alex Smith played three common opponents and then each other's team. The statistics were similar.

Smith: 60 percent completion rate, 909 passing yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions. Beck: 59 percent, 1,092 yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions.

Smith became the No. 1 pick of that 2004 draft. Beck healed his separated shoulder that offseason. If his senior year could have made him a more national name, the ankle sprains didn't help that. He couldn't throw with his full legs.

NFL scouts, unaware of the ankle sprains, began questioning the arm strength of a kid who threw a football 75 yards one week back from his mission. Dolphins General Manager Randy Mueller heard the whispers. He watched Beck play the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon. That closed the subject.

"He looked like the varsity against the junior varsity," Mueller said.

"What you have to love is he played at such a high level while hurt," Cameron said. "Everyone gets hurt in this game. And he didn't just play great. He didn't tell anyone."

South Florida bound

For some draft-day fun, Beck's family and friends wrote down the team they thought would draft him. That morning, he had told his wife, "Hey, I think we're going to end up in Florida."

But for the draft-party pool, he chose Detroit. They had shown the most interest (as well as asked the strangest question: What is your favorite movie? Answers: Rudy and The Count of Monte Cristo).

But as teams ticked off through the first round, Mueller sent Beck a text message: "Are you OK?" Beck wrote back: "My wife wants a tan, and I'm wearing flip-flops."

When the Dolphins' second-round pick arrived, Beck's phone rang with a 954 area code. The room erupted. After a minute of talking with a team scout, Beck blurted out, "Are you guys going to take me or not?"

Cameron took the phone. "Do you think your wife and Ty are ready to live here?" he asked.

At one point last Saturday, as he looked up at the snow-capped mountains, Beck said, "That's what I'm going to miss about this place. The mountains are picturesque."

He then smiled. "But I've already bought a saltwater fly rod. I can't wait to try that out."

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com.

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Culpepper Ready?

2007-05-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

Greg Cote | Thomas says Culpepper is driven for a comeback

BY GREG COTE

gcote@MiamiHerald.com

No current Dolphins player has been with the team as long as Zach Thomas, the fireplug linebacker preparing for his 12th season. Nobody works harder at football or has suffered more as Miami's fortunes sank. Nobody wants more fiercely for this team.

Dan Marino was hanging onto the last of his prime and facing inexorable decline when Thomas arrived, and Zach has since spent most of his NFL life as an eyewitness to the franchise's failings at that essential position.

The Dolphins continue in 2007 to look for their next great quarterback, but Thomas believes he might see him right across the locker room, not 15 paces away.

What better man to defend Daunte Culpepper than one of the greatest defenders in club history?

I asked Thomas on Friday if he thought Culpepper would get a full and fair chance this summer to be the team's starting quarterback. It was sort of a rhetorical question. The answer is no. That seems obvious. Reports are Culpepper will be traded or released soon after the Dolphins' imminent acquisition of Trent Green from Kansas City, and coach Cam Cameron has passed on every opportunity (and again Friday) to indicate that isn't true.

''I hope so. I hope so,'' Thomas answered when asked if he thought Culpepper would be given a shot. ``He can get back to that form. I think he can get even better than he was. The guy is a winner in my book. We all know he came back too early last year. But when he is healthy, he is a beast. He can beat you with running or passing.''

GETTING READY

Culpepper was back on the practice field Friday, and said, ''there's no doubt in my mind'' about him being ready for the June 8-10 mini-camp. Yet Cameron remains coldly distant from the quarterback. On Friday, the coach acknowledged, ''He is getting better, no doubt,'' but declined our request to discuss further.

Culpepper's recent public request to know where he stands ''sooner rather than later'' has gone unanswered. Asked Friday about his status, he said only, ``I'm under contract.''

Cameron apparently believes that either Culpepper isn't mastering the offense mentally or will never be his old self physically.

Again, though: Why not give him an opportunity to refute those doubts or prove them true, on the field, during training camp? Bring in Green and let the two men compete for the starting job while rookie John Beck develops.

Culpepper claims he is ''absolutely'' grasping the new playbook. ''It's a fun offense,'' he said. ``It gets the ball out of your hands fast. I'll continue to grow in it and absorb it.''

SMALL STEPS

As for the physical part, Culpepper is scarred from hurrying back last year and intentionally making measured progress -- none of which means he won't be all the way back (or close enough to be a top quarterback again) by season's start.

''I'm taking a small step every day. I feel good. No real pain, which is a good sign,'' he said. ``I'm not trying to push it. Take it step by step and ease my way into it.''

Thomas is impressed by what he sees of Culpepper's rehabilitation.

''I've never been around a guy who's worked harder with rehab than he has. That's the truth,'' said Thomas, the team's standard-bearer for working hard. ``I never thought he'd have that work ethic. He's driven. When he comes in, there's not much talking. He goes from the rehab room to the weight room and just goes. It's quality work. He's got that fire. You can be driven by doubters. He's driven.''

Thomas smiled, adding, ``He is so competitive. I see that even when we play Ping-Pong. I beat him, by the way. He hates that.''

Cameron made a point Friday of saying, ``My responsibility is to make sure our fans are not set up for disappointment.''

He referred to not relying on Ricky Williams, which proved right.

In Culpepper's case, nobody would expect Cameron to place all of his chips on a rehabilitating player and declare him the starting quarterback in May.

But an athlete who has been through what Culpepper has deserves something, if only as a reward for the determined work that has so impressed Thomas.

It's called a fair chance.

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Good Story on Jason Taylor From The Boston Globe

2007-05-20T13:53:00.001-05:00

This fish is still hooked

Elusive championship is Taylor's obsession

By Mike Reiss | May 20, 2007

It hasn't been the type of offseason that necessarily brings comfort to a player entering his 11th NFL season and still searching for his first Super Bowl championship. Coaching changes and an unsettled quarterback situation can be difficult. Jason Taylor acknowledges as much

"Unfortunately, in some ways, you have to start over," the longtime Miami Dolphins defensive end said. "This is my third time doing this and it's not always fun, a turnover like this, with a change of philosophies."

Yet those who have watched Taylor over the last 10 years -- as he's totaled 106 sacks in a durable, Hall of Fame-worthy career -- won't be surprised at how he's responding. He remains realistic and relentless as the Dolphins look to end a five-year playoff drought under first-year coach Cam Cameron.

"You only have a certain amount of time to play the game and you hope to be dealt the best hand as quickly as you can, but we've had to shuffle up and now it's been re-dealt to us," he said. "This is the hand we're playing now and we know the things we need to get done. Attitudes need to change. We have to have the belief that things can change.

"We haven't had that the last five years, where guys expected to win, expected to make a play. You look at a team like New England, who last year at receiver -- with all due respect -- was playing with some guys who you didn't know who they were. Yet they still expected to win each week. Obviously, they have an X-factor in Tommy [Brady], but that's the mind-set and approach that Coach Belichick has instilled in the team and that's very much needed here in Miami. I think every team needs it."

Taylor thought the Dolphins were headed in that direction under former coach Nick Saban.

"He taught a lot of the same things that guys who play for Bill [Belichick] talk about, but we didn't have 53 players that bought into that," he said. "Some guys were offended by it, but you all have to swallow your pride, like everybody does that goes to New England, and put the team before yourselves. You can use one million clichés, but we need to be more focused as a team and change the mentality."

Taylor, the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, had his emotions boil over after the season-ending loss to the Colts in December. At the time, he said he'd consider retirement.

"We had just lost, and [reporters] were asking to sum up the [6-10] season and I just basically said I can't take it anymore, I'm sick of losing and people being OK with it, and it not bothering people like it was bothering me," he said. "I don't want to sound selfish, but it's been frustrating the last five years not winning enough games, when you put in the work and don't get the result. I understand part of this game is losing, and how you deal with that also defines you as a player, but I had reached a point of frustration there."

A few days later, Taylor acknowledged he'd be back in 2007. The only way he would retire, he joked, was if Brady outran him.

The Brady comment was a reflection of the respect that Taylor and Brady have for each other.

"If you give me a handful of cash and tell me to go start a team today, I'll give most of the money to Tom and we'll be all right," Taylor said.

While Brady has three Super Bowl rings, Taylor, who turns 33 in September, acknowledges his time is running out to earn his first. He is under contract for the next three seasons and doesn't want to be a player who is hanging on for the wrong reasons at the end of his career.

"I'll play as long as I can do so at a high level, but I don't want to wait too long and start coming back down the other side of the hill too fast," he said. "You want to end on a high. In a perfect world, it would be this coming season, you win the Super Bowl, accomplish all those team goals, and it would be hard to come back after that.

"At the same time, my competitive side never lets me walk away from anything. I constantly want to do more, and do better. Sometimes that's what makes you great, but it can be your demise, too. So it's a tough question to answer."

But it's not tough to envision which jersey Taylor will wear. Even if the situation presented itself, he's not interested in a Raymond Bourque-type ending, leaving his longtime club to win a championship with someone else.

"I couldn't envision another uniform," he said. "It would mean more to me to help turn this team around, for the fans who have been here and been behind me the last 10 years. I think there would still be a void, a part of me that would regret not doing it with the Miami Dolphins.

"That's my quest. I wake up every day and it's one of the things on my list to get done. It's a journey and I'm not about to give up on it. If it doesn't happen, it wasn't meant to be, and there will always be a void there. But I can guarantee it won't be for a lack of effort."

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Vernon Carey News

2007-05-20T13:49:00.001-05:00

Move to left a right choice for Dolphins' Carey

Vernon Carey is motivated to silence skeptics who believe his switch from right to left tackle -- key to protecting the quarterback -- was the wrong move.

BY DAVID J. NEAL

dneal@MiamiHerald.com

Dolphins offensive tackle Vernon Carey possesses the antennae for picking up the local noise, as one would expect from someone working in the town where he was born, raised, went to high school (Miami Northwestern) and college (University of Miami).

So, Carey has heard all the doubts about him since the Dolphins traded up to take him in the 2004 NFL Draft. That includes the latest skepticism, that Carey is ready to make the big move across the line from right tackle to left tackle.

Although Carey doesn't keep a Nixonesque Enemies List of those who don't believe he can handle it, he did call the disbelief ``very motivating.''

Carey said his wife, LaTavia, told him, ``You know what a challenge this is for you. A lot of people feel you can't get it done.''

Then, he said, ``People turned on me in my second year and said I wasn't worth a first-round pick. I changed their minds about me. Now, I need to change their minds about left tackle.''

Said Dolphins offensive line coach Hudson Houck: ``I think he's a prideful person. If you're prideful, you find a way to win. I think he wants to be good.''

Actually, Carey said a week earlier, ``I don't want to be good at it. I want to be great at it.''

Part of the reason Carey's fellow South Floridians looked askance at the idea of him moving to left tackle was he had been put in that role before in his first training camp. He was so unsuccessful that the Dolphins moved him to the right side, where he backed up John St. Clair.

Now, Carey claims he has the confidence to handle the job, which he knew he had even as draft analysts guessed the Dolphins would take Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown (after all, quarterback Brady Quinn surely would be gone).

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron 'told me before the draft, `We want you to be our left tackle,' '' Carey said. 'I said, `If I'm going to do it, I don't want to be flipped back and forth.' ''

Here is how certain Houck is about Carey's ability to play left tackle: Houck would have been fine with the move a year ago.

''If Damion McIntosh was not here last year, we would've moved Vernon over the to the left side,'' Houck said. ``We ended up with McIntosh at left tackle because that's where he was most comfortable. [Carey] has all the skills to be a Pro Bowler. The only questions are will he be able to refine his technique and can he play every play as if it's his last one?''

Besides, Houck said, ``He had a very good season last year. And playing right tackle is not all that different from left tackle from the standpoint of technique.''

But it is very different since the left tackle protects the blind side of a right-handed quarterback, and most teams stick their best pass rusher at right defensive end.

If a right tackle loses his battle, the quarterback can often see it in time to run, dump or just pocket tap dance to give himself an extra second. If the left tackle loses his battle, unless a quarterback feels the heat, he will feel the pain.

That's why Baltimore opens the vault for Jonathan Ogden and St. Louis does the same for Orlando Pace. That's why Cleveland opted for Joe Thomas in the draft with the third overall pick.

And that's why whoever the Dolphins' quarterback is, he hopes any pessimism about Vernon Carey proves unwarranted.

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No News at all?

2007-05-19T16:23:00.001-05:00

I don't know haven't seen any news come across the wire so nothing to post today maybe tomorrow

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Culpepper Starting To Practice

2007-05-18T19:36:00.000-05:00

Culpepper practices on limited basis for Dolphins

By Alex Marvez
Sun-Sentinel. com
Posted May 18 2007

DAVIE -- Having taken what he describes as "small steps" in his ongoing recovery from knee surgery, Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper practiced Friday on a limited basis during an organized coaching session at team headquarters.

While he didn't participate in team drills, Culpepper was involved in other quarterback work that saw him taking drops and firing short passes to receivers. The OCS' are essentially scaled-down versions of minicamp practices, with each NFL team allowed to conduct 14 throughout the offseason in preparation for training camp.

"I just want to get my feet wet as far as throwing to some of the guys and working on some of the footwork with the [running] backs," said Culpepper, who wasn't medically cleared to participate in a minicamp held two weeks ago. "I feel good. There's no real pain, which is a good sign."

Culpepper, who underwent knee surgery last November, said he still must receive medical clearance from sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews to participate in the Dolphins' next minicamp June 8 to 10. Andrews also operated on Culpepper in Nov. 2005 after the latter had torn three knee ligaments while playing for Minnesota.

Culpepper struggled to return from that injury last season and was benched for the rest of 2006 after starting the first four games.

"I feel a lot better than I did last year at this time [when] I was taking every rep and doing everything," Culpepper said.

Culpepper's future with the Dolphins remains uncertain with the franchise actively pursuing a trade with Kansas City for quarterback Trent Green. Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said there was "no doubt" that Culpepper was getting better but "until he's 100 percent, it's not fair to evaluate him."

Asked about his Dolphins status, Culpepper said, "The thing is I'm under contract. That's what I've been told and how I'm looking at it. Individually, I'm going to work to get better and mentally and physically get into the best shape I can and go from there."

INJURY UPDATE: Defensive end Matt Roth (groin), nose tackle Keith Traylor (ankle), running back Patrick Cobbs (hamstring), and tackles Joe Toledo (foot) and Anthony Alabi (knee) were held out of today's practice but are expected back for the June minicamp. Cameron said cornerback Andre' Goodman wasn't expected to return until some point in training camp after undergoing surgery last week on his left shoulder.

Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday, cornerback Will Allen, and safeties Cameron Worrell and Travares Tillman missed the practices for personal reasons. All OCS are voluntary.

MOVING ON: Ronnie Brown said some of his Dolphins teammates were "shocked" when news surfaced last week that fellow running back Ricky Williams reportedly wouldn't be allowed to immediately apply for NFL reinstatement after failing a drug test for marijuana. Brown, though, said Williams isn't a regular topic of conversation in the locker room.

"I think we're beyond that point," said Brown, who teamed with Williams to rush for 1,650 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005. "We've all been here for the offseason working together and trying to make sure the guys we have here are all focused on one thing. That's being the best we can be when the season starts."

Williams was suspended in April 2006 for failing a fourth drug test under the league's substance-abuse policy. Williams, who has only played in 12 games for the Dolphins in the past three seasons, reportedly won't be allowed to apply for reinstatement until at least September.

"I'm a little selfish because I would like him on the team," Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas said. "But I'm moving on and trying to worry about what we've got instead of [getting frustrated] every year. I'm not going to do that any more."

Staff writers Harvey Fialkov and Matt Baker contributed to this report.

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Williams Probably Not Going To Be A Dolphin

2007-05-18T19:33:00.001-05:00

Dolphins, Cameron sidestep Ricky decision

By JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Just as he has done since his arrival in Miami, Dolphins coach Cam Cameron maintained Friday he would not worry about running back Ricky Williams' future with the team until he is actually a part of the roster.

Cameron did not dismiss the idea of a return by Williams to the Dolphins -- but he also wasn't willing to predict if Williams would be a part of the team's backfield anytime soon.

''My understanding is that they have lengthened the time element for his reinstatement so nothing has changed,'' Cameron said. ``It is my responsibility to make sure that you, our fans and all the people that care about Miami Dolphin football are not set up for a disappointment. That's why we focus on the guys that we have because there is no guarantee you are going to have anybody that is not on the roster.''

Williams recently failed another drug test, which has curtailed his ability to be reinstated to the league after serving a one-year suspension.

Quoting Cameron from the same news conference Friday, The Associated Press reported that Cameron ''all but slammed the door on a return by the troubled running back.'' However, a Dolphins spokesperson later called several local reporters to clarify that Cameron meant no such closure.

Instead, Cameron simply does not want to comment about players not on his roster, fearing it would only lead to disappointment if things didn't work out.

Cameron did say during the news conference that history has showed him it is often difficult to change someone's behavior away from the field.

''It's not 100 percent, but the easiest predictor of future behavior is previous behavior,'' Cameron said. ``That can be in a good context and that can be in a negative context. At some point in time, as a human being you want to be as fair as you can be, but no individual ever comes above the team, including myself or this organization. Is it 100 percent? Absolutely not, because we talked about that one percent.

``Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct on certain guys. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong.''

Cameron said he has had a ''very low'' success rate when trying to take players with problems in the past and making them different people.

''There is a difference between the human side versus the NFL business side,'' Cameron said. ``You have to be able to separate the two because you don't ever want to lose your ability to be compassionate. You don't want to ever lose that. We don't ever want to do that, but the whole is more important than the individuals and that falls right on my shoulders.''

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