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FinAtic8480

FinAtic8480

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Though Dolphins No. 1 draft pick Vontae Davis drew Illinois coach Ron Zook's ire last October, Zook insists Davis is getting an unfair rap.

Echoing a perception, Pro Football Weekly wrote Davis ``carries a prima donna attitude and a severely inflated ego. Talks down to coaches. Exaggerates injuries and does not like to practice. Falls alarmingly short in areas of discipline, desire and coach-ability.''

Zook said by phone that assessment is ''not anywhere close to true. I know how that stuff started. I've always coached my best players the hardest. There was one day last season he wasn't practicing as hard as he could practice and I threw him off the field.'' Because of that, Zook did not start Davis on Nov. 1 against Iowa because ''we couldn't treat him differently from other players.'' But he entered a few plays later.

Zook said Davis worked hard otherwise and never had another negative incident. ''I love the kid -- he's like my son,'' Zook said. ``He worked as hard as anyone I've coached. Vontae is a great person, will do whatever he's asked. He's very coachable, was well-respected here. When the rumor came out about failing a drug test, even our players said no way he would do that.''

Zook said there's ''no question'' Davis ''can start from Day One'' and has All-Pro potential. In 30 years coaching -- including in the NFL -- the only defensive back Zook coached ''with that kind of ability is Rod Woodson,'' the ex-Steelers All-Pro. Word is Davis' borderline ****iness turned off some teams in interviews, but that's irrelevant if he's as good as Miami believes.

• Though some teams (unlike Miami) project 6-3 Dolphins draft pick Sean Smith as a safety, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham agrees with the Dolphins that he's ''more suited'' to cornerback. ''There have not been a lot of corners that size because there aren't that many guys with his blend of size, speed and quickness,'' Whittingham said Monday. ``He has the wingspan of a 6-8 guy. He's so valuable matching up with big receivers.''

• Who will surprise from Miami's undrafted and late-round pickups? Draft analysts Russ Lande (Sporting News) and Frank Coyle point to Miami's fifth-rounder, Monmouth tight end John Nalbone (''tremendous skills,'' general manager Jeff Ireland said). And Lande said watch for free agent pickups Orion Martin, a Virginia Tech linebacker/end with pass-rush skills, and Tulsa receiver Brennan Marion (31.9 yards per catch in 2007, 25.9 in '08).

• Owner Stephen Ross -- who has been considering Red Sox COO Mike Dee to become Dolphins CEO on the business side -- wants so much to enhance fan experience that his staff has tossed around ideas (all in discussion stages) such as giving fans hand-held devices with video/stats at their seats and building a Margaritaville at Dolphin Stadium. Ross even hired a consultant ( Bernie Yuman) who will try to bring celebrities to games.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/columnists/barry_jackson/story/1022723.html
 
I love the idea of Margaritaville and the hand held devices. He clearly is not struggling financially and as long as he doesn't mess with Parcells we are in good shape.
 
Ross is a business man and I like that he wants to give the Dolphins organization a little more flare. Just as long as he leaves the football decisions to the real football minds.

I really think Vontae was a steal. The guy is physical and plays with an edge. Hmm sounds a lot like a corner we had not too long ago. Sam Madison anyone?
 
i dont think we get enough publicity these days. The way Ross is approaching it is good, it will increase publicty and prob get us some more prime time games. between the coaching and the ownership i feel some good years coming..
 
Guys I know we are focusing on Ross, but why Orion Martin was not drafted is a bigger question. The guy was ranked 13 as the best DE coming out by sporting news. They say he is one heck of an athlete, but needs to get coached. Could be a steal.


BTW have any of you guys been to Margaritaville I love the place. Im a fan of Buffett, love his music and life style.
 
Jersey DolFan said:
i dont think we get enough publicity these days. The way Ross is approaching it is good, it will increase publicty and prob get us some more prime time games. between the coaching and the ownership i feel some good years coming..
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we have four prime time games this year. (One of them could be flexed out) They have nothing to do with publicity. You get them for winning the season before.

Unfortunately, we play some tough teams on prime time this year too.
 
ciscoholgate said:
Ross is a business man and I like that he wants to give the Dolphins organization a little more flare. Just as long as he leaves the football decisions to the real football minds.

I really think Vontae was a steal. The guy is physical and plays with an edge. Hmm sounds a lot like a corner we had not too long ago. Sam Madison anyone?
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And as I recall Sam was a bit brash. Love it. A ****y CB going against Moss, TOderant, etc.......
 
FinAtic8480 said:
Guys I know we are focusing on Ross, but why Orion Martin was not drafted is a bigger question. The guy was ranked 13 as the best DE coming out by sporting news. They say he is one heck of an athlete, but needs to get coached. Could be a steal.
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He might not have the requisite size (260) to be a DE in the NFL, however he seems to possess the speed and tackling ability to play a decent OLB. What's more, he has an interesting story, and seems like the kind of guy Parcels likes.

A couple of draft sites had him going in round 5, so we might have picked up another steal here.
Here's a quick synopsis from walterfootball.com
Orion Martin, Virginia Tech
Height: 6-2. Weight: 260.
Projected 40 Time: 4.70.
Combine 40 Time: 4.88.
Pro Day 40 Time: 4.70.
Benchx225: 24. Vertical: 31.
Projected Round (2009): 5-6.

1/9/09: Orion Martin finished strong, collecting 13 TFL, 7.5 sacks and four passes broken up.

5/7/08: Probably a right end in the 3-4 at the next level. Orion Martin notched 78 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season.
For more detail, I've linked his CBS scouting report, but the cool bit is here:

"Still, some scouts believe that Martin might be a better fit as a strong-side linebacker in the National Football League. He has proven to be capable of shutting down the passing attack, as only 18-of-97 passes (18.56%) have been completed in his area by the opposition, good for 112 yards. Those numbers translate to a miniscule 1.15 yards gained per pass attempt and 6.22 yards per pass completion during his time at Tech."

http://www.thephinsider.com/2009/4/29/858493/orion-martin
 
I remember around the time that Dan Marino was drafted, that many people said Dan was using drugs. Had it not been for these rumors, Dan never would have fallen to the 27th pick in the first round of the 1983 draft. We could have ended up with O'Brien or Blackledge. You cannot believe all the rumors and outright lies.
 
We still need to move the damn seats closer to the field at Dolphin Stadium. We need to have a true homefield advantage for once instead of having the seats 10 miles away from the action!!!!!
 
Roman529 said:
I remember around the time that Dan Marino was drafted, that many people said Dan was using drugs. Had it not been for these rumors, Dan never would have fallen to the 27th pick in the first round of the 1983 draft. We could have ended up with O'Brien or Blackledge. You cannot believe all the rumors and outright lies.
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AHH I believe it was His Knee not Drugs
 
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