Safety dance
The Miami Dolphins' addition of former Pro Bowl safety Sammy Knight to a top-rated defense that had already picked up linebacker Junior Seau in free agency and now has eight present or former Pro Bowl performers is not welcome news for the Patriots. The expected addition of Brian Griese to back up Jay Fiedler at quarterback following a June 1 roster move in Denver also would give the Dolphins a boost they lacked a year ago when Fiedler went down with a fractured thumb. Now they'll have a professional replacement who could step in and prevent the kind of slippage that doomed Miami's playoff chances in 2002. Knight will compete with Arturo Freeman, and if he beats him out, the secondary will be populated by two Pro Bowl corners in Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain and two Pro Bowl safeties in Knight and Brock Marion. The Saints let Knight go because head coach Jim Haslett felt he lacked the speed to play in the defense Haslett has designed, but the Dolphins see Knight just the opposite. To coach Dave Wannstedt, Knight is the playmaker he has been lacking at strong safety, and Wannstedt cites his 28 interceptions over the last six seasons as proof. In contrast, Freeman has made only one interception in three years in Miami . . .
Miami-based agent Drew Rosenhaus was in the news again, and Wannstedt was not happy about it. After crowing about how he'd bamboozled the Buffalo Bills and the NFL into drafting damaged goods in running back Willis McGahee, Rosenhaus now claims that Griese will unseat Fiedler as Miami's starting quarterback by midseason. For an agent to say such things is fine, but Rosenhaus holds a unique position in Miami. He not only represents 11 Dolphins, which gives him unusual power, but he also appears weekly on a local TV sports broadcast. That is a forum Wannstedt fears some players might confuse with actual journalism, so he went public in his support of Fiedler and made his views on journalism clear. ''That's not sports reporting,'' Wannstedt said. ''Let's be honest. That's `Entertainment Tonight.' I hope our players and fans consider the source whenever anything is said by him on that station. It's comical.''
Not to Wannstedt and probably not to Fiedler, whose worth became clear after he was injured last season and the Dolphins collapsed after opening the season 5-1. After Fiedler fractured his thumb in a Week 6 win over the Broncos, Miami lost three in a row and four of six, all with Ray Lucas at quarterback. If Miami wins just one of those games, it wins the division and everything is different in the AFC East. But will Griese's presence become a distraction? Not with Fiedler under center, because he has been tolerating doubters ever since he took over from Dan Marino. First Damon Huard was endorsed by Marino to be his successor. Then it was supposed to be Lucas. Now it's Griese. Or at least Rosenhaus . . . Rosenhaus's claim that he fooled the NFL into believing McGahee would be ready to play this season is ridiculous. If he had those kind of manipulative powers, why was Mike Mamula drafted five slots ahead of another one of his clients -- Warren Sapp -- a few years back? Just asking.
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/138/sports/NFL_in_the_market_for_a_return_but_is_LA_+.shtml
The Miami Dolphins' addition of former Pro Bowl safety Sammy Knight to a top-rated defense that had already picked up linebacker Junior Seau in free agency and now has eight present or former Pro Bowl performers is not welcome news for the Patriots. The expected addition of Brian Griese to back up Jay Fiedler at quarterback following a June 1 roster move in Denver also would give the Dolphins a boost they lacked a year ago when Fiedler went down with a fractured thumb. Now they'll have a professional replacement who could step in and prevent the kind of slippage that doomed Miami's playoff chances in 2002. Knight will compete with Arturo Freeman, and if he beats him out, the secondary will be populated by two Pro Bowl corners in Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain and two Pro Bowl safeties in Knight and Brock Marion. The Saints let Knight go because head coach Jim Haslett felt he lacked the speed to play in the defense Haslett has designed, but the Dolphins see Knight just the opposite. To coach Dave Wannstedt, Knight is the playmaker he has been lacking at strong safety, and Wannstedt cites his 28 interceptions over the last six seasons as proof. In contrast, Freeman has made only one interception in three years in Miami . . .
Miami-based agent Drew Rosenhaus was in the news again, and Wannstedt was not happy about it. After crowing about how he'd bamboozled the Buffalo Bills and the NFL into drafting damaged goods in running back Willis McGahee, Rosenhaus now claims that Griese will unseat Fiedler as Miami's starting quarterback by midseason. For an agent to say such things is fine, but Rosenhaus holds a unique position in Miami. He not only represents 11 Dolphins, which gives him unusual power, but he also appears weekly on a local TV sports broadcast. That is a forum Wannstedt fears some players might confuse with actual journalism, so he went public in his support of Fiedler and made his views on journalism clear. ''That's not sports reporting,'' Wannstedt said. ''Let's be honest. That's `Entertainment Tonight.' I hope our players and fans consider the source whenever anything is said by him on that station. It's comical.''
Not to Wannstedt and probably not to Fiedler, whose worth became clear after he was injured last season and the Dolphins collapsed after opening the season 5-1. After Fiedler fractured his thumb in a Week 6 win over the Broncos, Miami lost three in a row and four of six, all with Ray Lucas at quarterback. If Miami wins just one of those games, it wins the division and everything is different in the AFC East. But will Griese's presence become a distraction? Not with Fiedler under center, because he has been tolerating doubters ever since he took over from Dan Marino. First Damon Huard was endorsed by Marino to be his successor. Then it was supposed to be Lucas. Now it's Griese. Or at least Rosenhaus . . . Rosenhaus's claim that he fooled the NFL into believing McGahee would be ready to play this season is ridiculous. If he had those kind of manipulative powers, why was Mike Mamula drafted five slots ahead of another one of his clients -- Warren Sapp -- a few years back? Just asking.
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/138/sports/NFL_in_the_market_for_a_return_but_is_LA_+.shtml
