This isn't a surprising move for the Dolphins.  Triforce head Bill Parcells has always liked Polite and kept him on his teams.  Parcells signed Polite in Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2004 after he had been a 4-year starter for the University of Pittsburgh.  Polite's home in Dallas was tenuous, as Parcells would sign him, cut him, then bring him back a number of times from 2004 to 2006.  When Parcells came to run football operations in Miami, he looked Polite up and signed him again.

While most FBs in the league are just extra offensive lineman, Polite gets actual carries and was seen as nearly automatic in short yardage situations.  He had 23 carries last season for 85 yards, and then 3 carries for 15 yards in Miami's playoff loss to Baltimore.

Oddly enough, Polite could owe his extension to Jason Taylor.  Parcells may have been waiting to address Taylor's position in free agency, and when Taylor signed for so little, he found himself with some extra cash to reward one of his good guys.

This story has been developing all offseason.  Taylor was released by the Redskins when he refused to report to offseason workouts.  He made clear his desire to return to the Dolphins.  But the Dolphins were mysteriously quiet about it.  They never said they didn't want him, only because they said very little about him at all.  When asked, GM Jeff Ireland said he was one of the "acorns" lying around, available to be picked up.  Maybe he was confusing Taylor's alma mater, Akron?  The Dolphins seemed to be stalling, not interested in Taylor but not wanting to publicly say it.  They wanted Taylor to be the one to sign elsewhere, so it would appear he was the one rejecting the Phins.  But Taylor was patient, turning down offers from the Patriots and a dozen other teams, and two lucrative movie deals.  The questions started again when Miami was either unwilling or unable to address the linebacker position in the 2009 Draft.  Taylor badly wanted to come home to Miami, to his family, and the team he's always loved.  

So much so, he recently contacted the Phins and told them to write a contract that fit their salary cap and other financial concerns, and he'd sign it.  Think about that.  A former Defensive Player of the Year, coming off the ONE bad season in his career when he was playing out of position (ref: Joey Porter), contacts you and says write the contract?  You'd be stupid not to!  So Taylor has signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million, plus another $400,000 in incentives.  Taylor didn't care about money, as he's been averaging $7 million a season since the early 2000s.  

And don't worry, the Dolphins are getting a motivated JT.  Coming off a bad season that has many questioning if he's got anything left, he says he wants to play 3 more years.  This is just a one-year deal, so he has to earn another two-year deal.  And since he already effectively skipped offseason workouts anyway, he's fresh and ready for training camp.  His decision next year about offseason workouts may determine his next contract, but he'll be home, so it shouldn't be as big a deal.  He knows that in 3 years he'll be just as photogenic and still getting those movie offers.

The on the field questions will once again feature Joey Porter.  Porter and Taylor are basically one and the same; guys that had one bad season when forced to play out of position.  But Porter openly rallied for JTs return, so they are willing to make it work.  Maybe the Dolphins will develop some dual-rusher schemes.  Or platoon JT and Porter so we have fresh rushers in the 4th quarter.  The potential for Porter and Taylor as a dangerous duo is still there.  It just has to be utilized properly to pay dividends.

This signing is awesome for Miami.  It addresses a key position with an All-Pro player at a bargain rate.  And on the chance he doesn't have it anymore, it hardly cost us a thing AND we still have Joey Porter.  It's very low-risk and amazingly high-reward.  And, our gain is also the Patriots loss.  They really wanted JT and now have to look elsewhere.  This one gets The Phish Tank Stamp of Approval.

Welcome home, JT!

Well, that pretty much makes it official, doesn't it?  Our thanks to Hutton, as well as Sentinel Business of Sports blogger Sarah Talalay, who posted about it.  And looking at it just now, you can also see the name again on the strip sign at the bottom of the picture.  Rumors can sometime be wrong, but this is pretty concrete evidence.  Tomorrow, the Dolphins WILL announce a naming rights deal with Landshark Beer, and Dolphin Stadium will become Landshark Stadium.

As I said before, this deal probably will only cover one year.  Landshark doesn't really have the resources for a long-term deal.  But what a year to pick!  Besides the normal exposure that the naming rights sponsor gets (I would assume the rest of the Marlins season and the Dolphins season), this year Landshark Stadium will host the Super Bowl.  Oh, that's right, AND the Pro Bowl.  Landshark will get tons of exposure from this deal.  The Dolphins get money from their naming rights now, and can wait the economy out a little more.  Maybe next year, the economy will have improved enough to make a company sign a long-term naming rights deal.

The purists are very upset, naturally.  But it's not a practical reality to change the name back to Joe Robbie Stadium.  A) No money in that, unless a few inspired millionaires team-up and buy the rights to do that.  B) Joe Robbie, as much as he did for the franchise, is now TWO owners removed from today.  Team owner Stephen Ross also owns the stadium.  It's HIS.  Why would he name it for someone that used to own it?  I do, however, support some sort of memorial to what he did.  Either some part of the stadium that acknowledges him clearly, or naming the field.  Joe Robbie Field at Landshark Stadium.  Doesn't sound too bad.

And what I most look forward to is Buffett's impact on the surrounding area.  The Dolphins have been focused, if not successful, on turning the area surrounding Whatever-It-Is Stadium into a shopping and dining experience.  Now, Buffett can lend his Margaritaville-brand to that effort.  So, we may finally see it.  What we will see is the Dolphins playing football next season, for better or worse, in Landshark Stadium.

Part of that celebration is Legacy Games; games involving the 8 teams that were a part of the original AFL.  Those teams are Buffalo, New England, San Diego (formerly the LA Chargers in the AFL), Denver, Oakland, Tennessee (Houston Oilers), Kansas City (Dallas Texans), and the New York Jets (who were the Titans).  Try not to get confused that one of those teams was the Texans but the team that is the Texans now isn't, and that the team that is the Titans is a part but wasn't the Titans while a team that isn't the Titans is also a part because they were the Titans.

All confusion aside, the Dolphins were not one of those original 8 teams.  But they were an AFL expansion team in 1966, and as such three of their games will be celebrated as Legacy Games; Miami at the Jets on November 1st, Miami at Buffalo on November 29th, and New England at Miami on December 8th.

But, in what I think is a stupid move by the NFL, the Dolphins are being asked NOT to wear AFL throwback jersies.  "According to league guidelines we won't be wearing any throwbacks, just our regular uniforms," Dolphins spokespoerson Harvey Greene said, in a quote that makes it sound like the team WOULD if allowed.  "We're involved because of our AFL roots, but they want to separate the original eight from everyone else."

Let me explain why that is dumb.  First of all, I get that it is an anniversary of the FIRST year of the AFL.  But you are using this to celebrate what the league was as a whole.  The Dolphins were a huge part of that.  Second, I HATE games where one team is wearing throwbacks and the other team is wearing modern jersies.  It makes the modern uniform look as bad as those Turn Ahead the Clock uniforms MLB teams wore in 1999 (though I kinda like the Marlins one).  Third...hello, NFL?  You are actually denying a chance to sell special AFL Anniversary Throwback Jersies?  Only the Original 8 get that income?  The league gets a cut of everything, and it's STUPID to restrict this.

But it will still be nice to live (I can't re-live something I wasn't born to see) the Dolphins AFL Days during these three games.  The Dolphins have not yet announced any special plans for the Legacy Game they will host, but I'd look for the team to bring back some old AFL Dolphins to speak or sign autographs.

Or jersies...grrr.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has made his first major move as majority owner of the team, hiring Red Sox COO Michael Dee as the Dolphins new CEO.  This position puts him in charge of all the non-football stuff, basically team marketing and the operations of Dolphin Stadium.  

Dee spent 14 years in Major League Baseball, including the last 5 years with the Red Sox.  Ross conducted a months-long search to replace Joe Bailey, whose contract is expiring.  Ross spoke to candidates across the world of sports, including the NBA and NHL as well as other NFL people.  But Dee was the only person who was officially offered the position.  He will emphasize three fundamentals in his position that the Dolphins will focus on under him; generating enough revenue to keep the team a perennial contender, giving the fans a better experience at the stadium, and keeping the Dolphins active in community service.

Ross was clear that Dee's hiring will in no way affect Bill Parcells' role as vice president of footbal operations.  Parcells will make all football decision and still report directly to Ross.

The second chapter of QB John Beck's NFL career began today.  He has signed a 1-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, with the understanding that he will compete with Troy Smith for the back job behind starter Joe Flacco.  

Beck is reunited with former coach Cam Cameron, who is now the Ravens offensive coordinator.  It was Cameron who drafted Beck, but after his firing Beck never clicked with the new regime.  Beck chose the Ravens over 5 other teams that showed interest.  At worst, Beck is said to have already secured the Ravens 3rd string job, likely leading to the release of current third-stringer Todd Bouman.

We wish Beck the best as he moves on, but I don't feel this was the best fit for him.  I think he really does have what it takes to be a starter.  Maybe he just sees this as a 1-year tryout to get the attention of other NFL teams and get a real starting shot.

At the Dolphins rookie minicamp, the one player turning a lot of heads isn't even a rookie.  There were questions as to whether Cameron Wake, a star CFL defensive end coming back to the NFL, would even be allowed to participate in this camp.  Players are normally only allowed to participate in one rookie minicamp, and Wake did so with the Giants in the past.  However, the league determined that since Wake had not yet accumulated one year towards his pension, he was still technically a rookie and allowed to participate in the Dolphins rookie camp.  

It's a good thing he is, because he's getting lots of attention.  Wake has already developed a reputation as a "beast" in the weight room.  Coach Tony Sparano was interested to see if that translated to the field, and so far it has.  Sparano praised Wake's "explosiveness and...fast twitch".  Wake has a ways to go, because he's being swtiched from the end, where he excelled with the British Columbia Lions, to outside linebacker to help ease the Dolphins' shortage there.  Of course, anytime the Dolphins' coaches mention a shortage at linebacker, reporters bring up that Jason Taylor is still a free agent.  Sparano said that the Triforce has discussed the matter, but are waiting to see how the young players perform before deciding if an offer to Taylor is needed.  That, or they may just be trying to wait out his interest, making him sign with another team and publically being the one to nix a return.

Other rookies drawing attention are the Dolphins two WR draft picks, Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline.  Sparano said the Dolphins have added depth at the position but is not sure who will be where on the depth chart.  Sparano compared Hartline's head for the game with Greg Camarillo's and said the rookie is flexible enough to be a special teamer.  

Both draft picks excelled in drills against the two CBs the Dolphins drafted; Vontae Davis and Sean Smith.  Hartline made a beautiful catch right over Davis' head, and Turner laid out to catch a 40 yard pass despite skin-tight coverage by Smith.  Sparano also praised QB Pat White (who IS being treated solely as a QB right now), who made some great reads based on film room study.

Finally, our thoughts are with those injured yesterday when the Dallas Cowboys' practice bubble collapsed during an intense storm.  12 people were injured, including 1 coach, but thankfully there were no fatalities.

Keep it here for the latest on the Dolphins!

If a parent renamed their child as often as the Dolphins have renamed their stadium, that child would go through therapy as an adult.  The stadium opened as Joe Robbie Stadium in 1987.  In 1996, Wayne Huizenga sold the naming rights to Fruit of the Loom and the stadium was renamed Pro Player Stadium.  A few years later, FotL dissolved Pro Player.  The stadium retained the name even with the company being defunct until 2005.  Then the Dolphins finally changed the name, but unable to find a new buyer they just went with their own name, Dolphins Stadium.  A year later, they wanted to focus less on the football team and more on the overall experience.  In perhaps the most "dramatic" name change, they dropped the S and made its current name, Dolphin Stadium.

Now, the Dolphins are taking a page from the Margaritaville book of stadium naming.  A news conference, complete with Jimmy Buffett appearance and concert is scheduled for Friday.  It's expected to be announced that Dolphin Stadium will be re-named Landshark Stadium in a short-term naming rights deal.  Landshark is a beer made by Busch and served at his Margaritaville restaurants, and Margaritaville may become a marketing theme around the stadium.  Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Buffett have been discussing a business deal, but neither would comment.  "You're going to find out real soon," Buffett told reporters at a Miami Heat playoff game Monday.  "Real soon.  It's going to be great."

The deal is not expected to be long-term, and may only last one season.  Some speculate that with the difficulty of finding a long-term naming rights buyer, the Dolphins may use this short-term deal to get naming rights revenue and to allow further recovery in the economy.  Then next season, if things have improved, they can sell the naming rights at a higher price for a long-term deal.

I know some Dolphans will never think of it as anything besides Joe Robbie.  And others were really happy when it seemed the Dolphins were going against the big corporate sponsorships with the Dolphins/Dolphin names.  But the Dolphins are just like any other NFL...any other SPORTS...team, looking to pad the bottom line by selling what really amounts to an intangible asset (the name of the stadium) and some ad space.  Their noble renaming was due to Pro Player no longer being a viable company.  What I look forward to is seeing how this affects the rumored areas around the stadium.  If they can ever get them BUILT, Margaritaville is a great theme, attached to a great celeb, that really fits the area and will be great marketing for the team.

I'll update on Friday to make it official, since for all we know it might just be a Margaritaville marketing deal that doesn't include naming rights.  Hey, why not just name it Margaritaville Stadium?  That would be AWESOME!

Nine UFA's have been given the chance to become Miami Dolphins.  Here is the list, thanks to our friends over at MiamiDolphins.com.

The defensive ends and the nosetackle have a decent shot at making the roster due to the lack of depth at those positions.  If the wideouts have a great camp, they might sneak onto the depth chart.  I don't see the others really breaking on.  The one with the worst chance I see is RB Anthony Kimble.  The Dolphins already have Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Patrick Cobbs at the RB position.  But, the crops of UFA's are always full of surprises.

The Dolphins will also bring in a larger group of players for tryouts.  These players will participate in minicamps, but are not signed and will just receive a couple grand for showing up.  One of these players is California QB Nate Longshore.  Do NOT read too much into this. As I posted earlier, the release of John Beck puts the Dolphins QB position into crystal clarity.  Pennington is the veteran starter, Henne the future starter, and Pat White the Wildcat QB.  Longshore will get a look, but is just there because 4 QBs are required to complete the team drills.  Really the Dolphins are doing him a favor, allowing him to showcase his talents to other teams that may need a 3rd string QB.  The Dolphins probably won't need one until next season, which they will likely draft late in the 2010 NFL Draft.

This is why I say this is a good move for both sides.  Each of the Dolphins QBs now has a clear role.  Chad Pennington is the veteran starter.  Chad Henne is the young backup, ready to step in and will be the starter in the future.  Pat White is now the 3rd stringer (though Inactive List rules and desires to use him may shuffle that a bit), and the primary Wildcat formation QB.  Beck's role was trade bait.  After the Dolphins took White, you know they tried desperately to get something for Beck.  But all the other teams foresaw what would happen now; with no takers, Miami would release Beck.  He gets a fresh start and a chance to determine the best situation for him.  He's still young, has a strong arm and can be coached into a great QB.  It just wasn't going to work out here.

So, all our best to John Beck, as he now tries to catch on with another team.  The Dolphins QB situation is now a lot more stable.

But the Dolphins thankfully avoided irrelevance in their 1 year dip down the bottom of the league by coming back with a playoff season.  The Dolphins generated some buzz taking Pat White yesterday, sandwiched between two corners.  What would Day 2 bring?

The Dolphins were really hoping, or at least so it seemed, to address the wide receiver spot by landing Florida WR Percy Harvin.  By when he went just three agonizing spots earlier to Minnesota, the Dolphins decided to settle that early in Day 2.  The Dolphins selected USC WR Patrick Turner.  Turner is seen as a raw talent, a classic Parcells receiver in that he's big and strong.  But he will apparently need some work, as scouting reports say he lacks home-run speed and lacks quickness and fluidity.  He sounds like a possession receiver, who can use his larger body to shield defenders away from the football and has very few drops.

Miami's next pick was 4th round, pick 108 overall.  The pick was Oakland's, swapped along with Miami gaining a 6th as part of the Samson Satele trade.  The Dolphins used the pick to snag another wideout, and a former teammate of Ted Ginn to boot.  The Dolphins drafted Brian Hartline out of OSU.  Hartline has toughness and runs over the middle, but there are concerns with changing directions and drops.  These two don't feel 100% the answer at wide receiver, but they will be a part of the corps, and push the starters at the very least.

Miami's next pick was 5th round, number 161.  While they really wanted TE Brandon Pettigrew in Day 1, that was another one that got away.  So they addressed it in Day 2 by drafting Monmouth TE Johnathon Nalbone.  The words "developmental project" are being thrown around another pick of the Dolphins.  Nalbone has the size and speed, but he needs to get stronger as a blocker and work on his routes.  

Yesterday, the Colts traded up five spots with the Dolphins in the 2nd round to snag DT Fili Moala, and the Dolphins grabbed a 5th rounder in the deal.  They used the 2nd round pick on defensive backfield (CB Sean Smith), and that's what they did with this extra pick, FS Chris Clemons.  Clemons (who, ironically enough, went to Clemson, all the same letters) has amazing insticts and has great reaction, but needs to improve in playmaking and purposefully taking better angles to the football.

The next pick at 181 was the extra pick the Dolphins got from Oakland in the Satele deal.  This is where it finally started looking like a Parcells draft.  The Dolphins took OT Andrew Gardner from Georgia Tech.  An agile and athletic lineman, Gardner is a great blocker who needs to develop his footwork and maybe add some strength.  This is the pick that gives me those "steal" vibes.  Gardner has all the pieces, and our great coaching staff can put them all together.

Miami had two picks in Round 7. but it turns out their last would be the first, at 214.  The fans screams for a linebacker were finally heard with JD Folsom, an OLB from Weber State.  Folsom is the story of the draft, as he totally wasn't even expecting to be drafted.  Know how sometimes guys don't go to New York because they don't expect to be drafted that early?  This is a guy that was out on the golf course, contemplating going to vet school.  But the Dolphins saw an undersized OLB who just needs to bulk up but has great instincts and long range.  The Dolphins then traded their other 7th rounder to Kansas City, for their 7th in 2010.  Why?  The trade was basically an acknowledgment by the Triforce that their draft board was tapped out.  Done.  EMPTY.  GM Jeff Ireland admitted to as much later.  And if you are basically gonna give away this year's pick for next year, might as well help out family (new KC GM Scott Pioli is Parcells' son-in-law).

So, how did they do?  I gave the Dolphins an emphatic A+ for Day 1.  I LIKE what they did on Day 2, hitting the receiver spot especially.  But, I don't know if I like the who.  This may not be the team's fault, because this has been widely decried as a very shallow Draft, very little great talent to be had.  I still trust the Triforce, and the picks they made do make sense.  They addressed the defensive backfield and wide receiver spots, two areas that desperately needed help.  They didn't take a nosetackle and the linebacker was a very late pick (Jason Taylor on line 1, Mr. Parcells), but they could have further plans for that in free agency (Jason Taylor on Lines 1-8, Mr. Parcells!).  So, this Dolphins draft gets a B from me.

In the next few days I will sum up the Dolphins moves in college free agency and as the team gets ready for Training Camp.

Vontae Davis/Sean Smith - I can't really react to these guys separately because they just feel like a tandem package.  Davis is the tackler, knocking down both passes and players.  Smith is the ballhawk, grabbing the interceptions and keeping the star WR on the other team locked down.  This could be half of the Dolphins back 4 for years and years to come.

Pat White - This pick wasn't as much as a head-scratcher as a throat-screamer.  And that throat screamed "WHAT?!".  To say the pick was surprising is a huge understatement.  But White will immediately be worked into the mix in the Wildcat.  And he will provide competition for Chad Henne when it's time for Pennington to move on.  And even if White doesn't win that contest, he'll still be useful in other areas.  That makes him a value pick; he can be on your QB Depth chart as well as lineup at wideout or slashing RB.  It spells the end of the Dolphin Road for QB John Beck, who probably won't even make it to Training Camp as a Dolphin.  I'll be shocked if he's on the roster Opening Day.

Sean's Grade for Day 1: A+

Why: The Dolphins knew CB was the biggest need, especially when T.O. suddenly joined the division.  And they addressed it with some great players.  Smith and Davis should be long-time starters.  It's not as clear where White fits in, but this is the sort of player you FIND spots for.  It was a great day.

But remember, the Triforce excels on getting value out of later picks.  So while I may not be awake for the START of Day 2, I will definitely update here on what the Phins do.  Keep it here!

Anyway..the Dolphins further shored up the defensive backfield, clearly responding to the big-name receivers in the AFC East.  The Dolphins took on a bit of a project in Smith, who will need a little work but has all the raw talent.

Utah's coaches had trouble deciding where he would even play.  He was recruited as a running back, but was quickly moved to wide receiver.  Later, the coaches decided his tall frame better fit a shutdown corner.  Smith hasn't spent much time at the position, with only 12 starts, but the time he's spent there has been very productive.  In just those 12 starts over two years, he led the Utes in picks.  He's 4th on the school's single-season interception yards list with 151 in 2008.  

Smith is the perfect compliment to Vontae Davis.  Where Davis shuts down the field by hitting guys and is good in run coverage, Smith is an excellent pass defender that will get the picks.  He has great hands and size, helping him get the interceptions, as well as excellent coverage awareness.  He'll have to work on backpedaling (he's been making up for it by quickly turning and just staying with the WR) and changing direction, but these are coachable items.

Stay tuned for a first round summary.

With the 61st pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Dolphins select CB Sean Smith from Utah.

Pat White is the athletic slashy type QB from West Virginia University.  White is an amazing all around athlete, and I'm not just talking about football.  A 4th round pick by the LA Angels in 2004, many felt he could excel at baseball.  But White chose West Virginia and football, and the Mountaineers are glad he did.  White is the NCAA All-Time leader in rushing yards by a QB with 4,480.  That was one of the 19 records he set in his career, between school, Big East, and NCAA.  He was the first Big East starting QB to win 4 Bowl games, which shows he's a proven winner.  He also was the first Big East player to gain over 10,000 yards in total offense, and set the conference record for touchdowns responsible for.  

White has amazing speed and can do great things with the ball in his hands.  This isn't just a receiver that can pass, White is also a more than adequate QB who knows the tricks to completing passes.  The Dolphins have clearly taken him as a Wildcat component, but he's enough of a QB to be a starter candidate later on.  Will the Dolphins attempt to move him solely to WR, use him as a Slash-style player, or use him as a Wildcat QB and groom him to compete for the starting job?  Only time will tell with this pick that shocked almost everyone that heard it.

Wait...WHAT!?

All the buzz leading into the draft for the Dolphins this year was centered on Gators WR Percy Harvin.  The news of Harvin's alleged positive marijuana test would possibly drop Harvin into the Dolphins' laps at 25.  However, Harvin was drafted 22nd by the Minnesota Vikings.  Another Dolphins target, TE Brandon Pettigrew, was taken a few picks earlier at 20th by the Detroit Lions.

But those may have been blessings in disguise.  While those were talented players that certainly would have helped the Dolphins, it took the tough decision of overall talent vs. team need out of their hands.  They were able to draft the best player at a position they sorely need.  Vontae is a hard hitting CB that gives you a lot of tackles.  Davis had 206 tackles in 3 years at Illinois, 139 solo tackles.  He doesn't give you a lot of forced fumbles (3 in his career) or picks (7), but he breaks up a lot of passes.  So much so that teams started avoiding his side of the field.  What more can you ask of a corner than to literally take away half the field from a QB?  He also is great at blitzing the QB from the corner spot, though he didn't record any sacks.

He ran a 4.49 40 at the Combine, which was a little underwhelming but still the fastest corner this year.  He lowered it to 4.4 at his Pro Day.  Once he adjusts to the NFL game, he should fill that need at corner amazingly.