Miami Dolphins Update - 3/22/2006
By Chris Kouffman
Miami secured the crown jewel of their off season by acquiring Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings for a 6-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a year-long subscription to Mayonnaise Connoisseurs’ Monthly, but that has not stopped them from continuing their free agent exploits. My last free agency update contained analysis of the acquisitions of L.J. Shelton, Sedrick Hodge, and Andre Goodman, as well as brief speculation on the merits of adding Drew Brees, Daunte Culpepper, David Givens, or Sam Adams. Since then the Dolphins have acquired Culpepper, and allowed Brees and Givens to escape to other teams. They have also acquired cornerback Will Allen, tight end Justin Peelle, and cornerback/safety Renaldo Hill.
Someone Needs a Hug…
Since trading Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Head Coach Brad Childress refuses to shut his heavily mustached mouth about Daunte, and league insiders are taking notice. First Childress went on record referring to how Daunte always seemed like a “me” player in the dealings he has had with him, and how he never seemed to buy into the team philosophy. Then he went even further, making overt and ridiculous comparisons between Daunte Culpepper and Terrell Owens. Now, Childress has responded to the rumors that Daunte asked for and did not receive a playbook by claiming that his playbook is closely guarded and that no player received a playbook at the time that Daunte asked for one. He also used the opportunity to take further jabs at Culpepper.
During all this, Culpepper has been honest and forthright about his reasons for wanting out of Minnesota. He has downplayed or refused to comment on the amount of lying the front office did to him, and has even publicly wished the Vikings players, fans, and their new coaching staff all the best as he rides off into the sunset in the state that he loves so dearly. When pressed about his reasons for demanding a trade, he merely claimed that he never received clarity from the Vikings on how they felt about him. This hardly constitutes an “Oh, snap!” jab at the team, and yet Childress has been non-stop with his character assassination attempts in an obvious effort to somehow explain how the team ended up giving away a franchise quarterback for boogers and a soda pop.
Pro Football Talk (
www.profootballtalk.com) has been reporting that league insiders have taken notice of Childress’ loud mouth and privately wish he would put a sock in it. Jeremy Green of ESPN Insider also came out with an excellent piece discussing the difficulties Childress may find in coaching current Vikings players after getting his hands so extremely dirty in his handling of a guy that most of the Vikings players respected very highly from both a talent and a character perspective. Until the infamous “Love Boat” incident where Daunte was ridiculously charged for being at a party that over 30 other Vikings players attended, with conflicting eyewitness reports claiming they may have seen Daunte receive a lap dance from a stripper, Daunte Culpepper was known around the league as a highly respected, high character individual that appeared humble in his personal dealings.
In all likelihood, Childress is now going to be forced to flush the roster of all or most of the “pre-Childress” talent and start from scratch, because there’s very little chance that friends of Daunte will respect him after his blatant attempts at character assassination. From an X’s and O’s perspective, Childress may or may not be up to snuff, but as far as being the lead figure of a multi-billion dollar organization, he has shown himself to be severely lacking. Childress has never been a head coach at any level, and it shows.
Saying Goodbye...
The following players were candidates to be signed by the Dolphins as free agents, but decided to find “greener” pastures.
David Givens, WR (5 yr, $24m total, $8m bonus)
After fielding unacceptable offers from the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, David Givens successfully negotiated the contract he desired with the Tennessee Titans. The contract pays him an average of $5 million per year over 5 years, with an $8 million signing bonus. Both the Dolphins and Patriots now witness Givens depart from the division wondering how he was able to command so much money.
Julian Peterson, LB (7 yr, $54m total, $18m guaranteed)
The Dolphins had Peterson in for a visit to discuss reuniting the standout linebacker with his former coach from his days at Michigan State. Peterson had some of the best performances of any defensive player in Saban’s career while at Michigan State, and he quickly followed up his stellar college career with a number of top notch seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, he ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2004, and was not the same as he continued recovering in 2005. Achilles injuries have been known to severely impact the play of other linebackers (such as Chris Spielman and Sam Cowart). It would be difficult to find a single player at a running position that suffered an Achilles tendon injury and was able to resume his standout career. Yet, the Seahawks were willing to pony up crazy amounts of cash to take Peterson away from division rival San Francisco.
Chris Hope, S (terms unknown)
Chris Hope is probably known mostly as “the other guy” next to standout safety Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh. He is a rangy safety prospect, not particularly big, strong, or fast, but who has played relatively well in the Steelers’ defense. He is only notable because after visiting Miami as a possible free agent acquisition, he signed with the Tennessee Titans and subsequently blasted Miami, saying “I don't want to hear about no perfect 1972 season and tradition. I want to know what are you going to do for Chris Hope today and in the future. Don’t sell me no sunshine and palm trees, I don't care about a 1972 Super Bowl.” With such an obvious winning attitude, it is a wonder the Steelers did not make more of an effort to retain Hope’s services.
Drew Brees, QB (6 yr, $59m total, $18m bonus)
After being wined and dined by the New Orleans Saints, Brees trekked over to Miami to talk turkey with the Miami Dolphins about becoming the franchise’s first pro bowl caliber quarterback since a guy named Dan retired after the 1999 season. Unfortunately for Brees, the session also involved rigorous tests on his injured throwing shoulder. While the two sides remained far apart in contract negotiations, the tests on Brees’ shoulder came back with unacceptable results. The Dolphins immediately agreed to a deal with the Vikings for Culpepper, and pulled their contract offer for Drew off the table. As a courtesy to Brees, they agreed to keep quiet about the failed physical, the trade for Culpepper, and the pulling of their offer for a few hours while Brees ironed out the necessary paperwork to sign with the New Orleans Saints.
Gus Frerotte, QB (terms unknown)
Gus Frerotte gave the Dolphins a few good times as their starting quarterback in 2005, but with the good came a lot of bad. Sometimes lost in the furor over the Dolphins red hot 6-0 finish is the fact that Gus Frerotte really was not playing extremely well during that stretch run. Indeed, Sage Rosenfels was forced to play a major role in two of those six victories. Just looking at the pure numbers, Gus did not have a quality season as an NFL starter, and the Dolphins made it very plain right from the start of the off season that, like it or not, they were going to attempt to bring in a heavy hitter at quarterback this off season. Gus did not like that, and when he was cut from the team, he never seriously entertained offers to come back and be Daunte Culpepper’s backup. He followed Scott Linehan to St. Louis, where he will help acclimate their offensive players to Scott’s system in much the same way he did with Miami in 2005.
Saying Hello...
The following Dolphins were signed as unrestricted free agents within the last week.
Renaldo Hill, CB/S (3 yr, $6m total, $2m bonus)
Hill arrives in Miami from Oakland, where he signed on a short one-year deal after playing through his rookie contract with the Cardinals, who drafted him in the 7th round of the 2001 draft. Renaldo is the brother of Ray Hill, who had been an off-and-on training camp prospect with the Dolphins for a number of years under Dave Wannstedt. Renaldo was a three-year starter for Saban at Michigan State. He arrived in Oakland as an unheralded free agent, but was rotated into the secondary heavily enough to accumulate 89 tackles, an interception, and 5 passes defensed. Hill is undersized at 5’11” and 190 pounds, and his athletic abilities compare with standout rookie 4th round pick Travis Daniels, who also arrived in Miami with significant experience in Nick Saban’s secondary. Renaldo will likely compete for a starting position at free safety, and work himself into the Dolphins’ dime rotation.
Will Allen, CB (4 yr, $12m total, $4m bonus)
Allen was a former first round pick out of Syracuse in the 2001 NFL Draft. He is known in league circles as a top line athlete that is capable of staying in the hip pocket of just about any receiver in the game. All of his speed measurements coming out of the NFL Combine were fantastic. He does not possess great size, standing at 5104 (5 feet, 10.4 inches) and 196 pounds. He has also never been known for outstanding run support, although he has not had his run support abilities questioned either. The caveat on Will Allen is that he could not catch a cold if an Eskimo took him surfing. He regularly positions himself to make plays on the ball, only to come up short of making the impact play. He also will allow some balls to zip right through to the receiver, despite his blanket coverage. The Dolphins view him as a top notch athlete and solid cover corner that comes to them at a bargain price due to his not being a top notch play maker. The feeling around league circles is that Nick Saban is such a defensive back specialist that he could take guys off the street and coach them into not embarrassing themselves too much on the football field. Allen literally trades places with Sam Madison, whose non-physical playing style disagreed with Saban too much to further retain his services.
Justin Peelle, TE (terms undisclosed)
Peelle comes to Miami from the San Diego Chargers, who used a 4th round selection on him in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played his college ball at Oregon. Justin is not highly athletic, nor is he overly big. He was a decent prospect among a weak class of tight ends (literally) that featured Chris Baker, Doug Jolley, Matt Schobel, Robert Royal, and Daniel Graham. As an athlete he compared favorably with Jolley in terms of straight line speed, but more along the lines of Royal when it comes to agility and COD skills (change of direction). When I say ‘weak class’ I mean it literally, as Peelle came out tied with John Owens, Keith Heinrich, and Dwayne Blakeley for the second-most bench reps at a mere 21 reps, behind Chris Luczar’s best-in-show 22 reps. Since his arrival in San Diego, he has become a blocking specialist, catching only 40 passes for 270 yards and 4 touchdowns in his four-year career playing mostly behind Antonio Gates on the depth chart. One of the Dolphins problems in 2005 was the lack of a true blocking specialist at tight end. Lorenzo Diamond proved hopeless in blocking at times, and the team’s best blocker was starting tight end Randy McMichael, who was paid big money because of his pass catching skills and athleticism. Having McMichael in to help block hurt the offense. With Peelle, the Dolphins have more ability to have Randy release in two-TE sets.
Under Consideration...
The following Dolphins are being heavily considered as potential free agent acquisitions. Most or all have already visited team facilities.
LaVar Arrington, OLB (terms unknown)
There is a feeling that Julian Peterson’s blockbuster deal with Seattle has set the bar for LaVar Arrington’s contract. Indeed, his agents (the infamous Poston brothers, also the agents for Peterson) are expected to take that position. Unfortunately for Arrington, Seattle may have been quite literally the only team on the market willing to pay that kind of money for a linebacker. Arrington and Peterson being represented by the same agent could give rise to conflict of interest issues. Had Arrington retained different representation, he may have been able to more effectively compete with Peterson for Seattle’s money. As things stand, Arrington’s most serious bidders are the Dolphins and Giants, and neither is offering close to the amount of money Peterson will earn. The Eagles and Bengals are both keeping a watchful eye on LaVar, in hopes of jumping into the bidding process when/if his price tag comes down a notch or two. As a prospect, LaVar has been criticized over and over for his being too much of a freelancer. Some have said he is not coachable. Miami Linebackers Coach George Edwards was one of the few defensive coaches to get along famously with Arrington and fully appreciate the amount of play making power he has inside him. LaVar’s strong relationship with Edwards is being cited as a strong factor in his upcoming decision of which team to choose as his new home. It should also be noted that Peterson fell out of favor with the San Francisco coaching staff for many of the same reasons (freelancing) that LaVar has fallen out of favor with Gregg Williams and the Redskins’ staff, yet Peterson was able to excel at the strong side position in Saban’s defense at Michigan State.
Stephen Neal, OG (terms unknown)
Stephen Neal took over for Joe Andruzzi at the right guard position of the Patriots offensive line in the middle of 2004, as Andruzzi moved to the left side to replace Russ Hochstein. Neal was a little-known undrafted free agent out of Cal State Bakersfield where he was a wrestling star. He made the transition to football under the guidance of well-respected Patriots’ offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. He has visited with the Dolphins and the team is considering a contract offer that would make him a starting right guard. The move would push Rex Hadnot over to the Center position he played in college. As a Center, Rex would lack the athletic ability to fire out to the second level on a consistent basis, but he has the pure power to be effective in double team blocks and the ability to stand up to a strong nose tackle. As a prospect, Neal still shows choppy technique but has the athletic ability to give him considerable upside if paired with a quality offensive line coach that could continue the work Dante Scarnecchia began.
Najeh Davenport, RB (terms unknown)
Once upon a time, Najeh spurned the Dolphins saying that he would rather continue to be Ahman Green’s backup than play in Miami. Evidently, things have changed. He has been entertained by the Dolphins on a free agent visit that lasted two days. Davenport played his college ball at the University of Miami, and could return to the area if the Dolphins begin to feel uncomfortable with Ricky Williams’ chances of successfully appealing a positive drug test. It is unknown exactly when Williams’ appeal will take place, but it could take place after the NFL Draft, which would put the Dolphins in the uncomfortable position of making a free agent or draft maneuver without knowing Ricky’s fate. Davenport is a straight-line runner with tremendous power and considerable athleticism. He also has the ability to lead-block and was regularly used in the same backfield as Ahman Green in Green Bay. The experience and versatility would prove most valuable in Miami, where a dual backfield featuring Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown was tested in 2005 with unimpressive results. The problem, as Dick Vermeil laid out, is that one of the two backs has to be able to lead-block, otherwise the backfield becomes predictable. The Dolphins were forced to pass so predictably out of the “Hippo” backfield that Atlanta was able to use that predictability to secure a game-saving red zone interception in 2005. The versatility may mean that Najeh could be a consideration even with Ricky Williams on the active roster.
Sam Adams, DT (terms unknown)
Sam Adams visited early with the Miami Dolphins prior to the start of free agency. At 32 years of age, he is still a monster of a defensive tackle, with all the same consistency and laziness issues as before. When harnessed, he is one of the most talented defensive tackles in the league. As he gets older, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to harness that kind of explosive power on a consistent basis, as he gets lazier and lazier. As things stand he is probably a part-time employee, and I am not entirely sure if the Dolphins view him as a replacement for Keith Traylor, or someone to rotate in with Keith. He is mulling offers from the Dolphins and Bengals, but continues to delay signing with either team.
Lional Dalton, DT (terms unknown)
Dalton is an 8-year veteran that has gotten by in the NFL with excellent upper and lower body strength and solid technique. He is very active, which is an attribute Saban has shown a clear preference for in all his defensive linemen. He is a short guy that is hard to move off the ball and would likely play the nose position; either rotating in with Keith Traylor or outright replacing him. He is very active with his hands, which is also an attribute that Nick Saban appreciates. He visited the Dolphins and it appears the team is intent upon signing a free agent defensive tackle.
Ron Edwards, DT (terms unknown)
Edwards was a 3rd round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2001 NFL Draft. He has good size and tremendous athletic ability, but has been somewhat of an underachiever with the Bills. He has lacked consistent technique and the ability to get low with his pad level and use his hands properly. He does have the ability to line up at end or tackle in the Dolphins hybrid 4-3/3-4 defense, and he has the speed and high leverage to dominate lanes in pass rush at times. He would be a somewhat similar player to Manuel Wright in the Dolphins’ defense with the ability to generate a pass rush and execute stunts, which is a key ability in the Dolphins defensive line technique.
Mike Vanderjagt, K (terms unknown)
Vanderjagt dropped by the Dolphins facility after hearing of some possible trouble brewing between kicker Olindo Mare and management over Olindo’s contract. Mare is set to count approximately $2 million against the Dolphins’ salary cap. As a benchmark, the contract Adam Viniateri recently signed with the Indianapolis Colts averages $2.5 million per year. The Dolphins have to ask themselves if Olindo Mare is really the same player now that he was when he signed this contract. They have to wonder if he deserves to be paid on a similar level with Mr. Clutch himself. Vanderjagt is the opposite of clutch, but he is still reigning as the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Some of Vanderjagt’s success can likely be attributed to the Colts’ playing in a dome, and it should be noted that Vanderjagt is not nearly as good on kickoffs as Mare, however if Vanderjagt seems willing to play for half the money Olindo is making, the Dolphins could pull the trigger. Word is that the Dolphins may be attempting to trade Mare, and it seems plausible that the team would attempt to recover the 5th round pick it is missing after using it to draft Manuel Wright in the 2005 Supplemental Draft.
Tommy Maddox, QB (terms unknown)
Tommy Maddox is very old, but his relationship with new Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey makes him a candidate for a job with the Dolphins in much the same way that Gus Frerotte became an immediate candidate due to his relationship with Scott Linehan. A few seasons ago, Maddox had a standout year operating Mularkey’s offense, helping Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward to each top the 1,300 yard mark. Maddox has subsequently fallen off quite a bit, and has appeared too old for the game at times. Maddox would likely compete with Cleo Lemon for playing time in mini-camps and training camp while Culpepper continues to rehab his knee. The Dolphins also appear intent on drafting a quarterback at some point in the upcoming NFL Draft, probably in the later rounds. If Cleo Lemon outplays Maddox to a considerable degree in mini-camps and training camp, and Daunte’s knee continues to rehab at a fierce pace, there is a chance Maddox may not make the final roster.
