We have done it again at PhinsPhocus!  We’re proud to bring you another of NFL Network’s head analyst. Michael Lombardi is an NFL insider on NFL Network and a frequent contributor to NFL.com. Lombardi has a very impressive resume having worked in San Fran, Philly and Denver’s front offices.  Lombardi is a go to guy for most fans for any breaking news around the league.

In my talk with Mike on the phone, we spoke about the Dolphins, the lockout, the offseason, and even a little bit about the Boss (Bruce Springsteen for those people not living on planet earth)

Daniel Eliesen: Being a former NFL exec, how do front offices around the NFL prepare during the lockout?

Mike Lombardi: Well, it’s the first time this has happened, so it’s important that the teams use their time wisely and evaluate players around the league and opponents. Teams also have to look into which college free agents to sign and start to get ready for the first couple of games of the season.

Daniel Eliesen: Organizations can’t speak with their players, but have GM’s around the league still been talking?

Mike Lombardi: I believe there is some communication, not on specifics though.

Daniel Eliesen: If they do indeed strike a deal before July 4^th, how will it affect this NFL season?

Mike Lombardi: It will get work started right away; teams will start building chemistry of their players and will have to find players to fit their needs certainly.

Daniel Eliesen: You were a big supporter of Mallett to Miami; do you think they missed out?

Mike Lombardi: Well they made their choice based on what information they have on him and what is out there on free agency, so we’ll have to see.

Daniel Eliesen: What do you think Miami’s free agency approach will be?  Big money RB or a vet QB?

Mike Lombardi:  I don’t know. They clearly like Thomas trading up for him, so I think he will be a key part of their offense for them but I think they might go after a RB as a compliment to him but they have a lot faith in him and I am sure they will certainly look at what to do about the QB situation.

Daniel Eliesen: What kind of market do you think there will be for Ricky and Ronnie?

Mike Lombardi: Hard to say. It will be a quick market with teams moving quickly, and teams will be doing a lot of accessing but it depends on the overall interest in the RB market.

Daniel Eliesen: What do you think will be the first line of breaking news when the lockout ends? Kolb?

Mike Lombardi: I think it will be hectic, rapid fire and a lot of different free agents being signed right away. Kolb might take time because there is a lot involved in making a trade so free agents will go first.

Daniel Eliesen: I asked Charles Davis about the direction of the Dolphins and he said he expects them to be in the mix. Do you share his thoughts?

Mike Lombardi: Well they have a really good team. They need to avoid injuries and get strong play from their offensive line but at the end of the day if they have solid play from the QB they have the elements to be a very strong team.

Daniel Eliesen: In honor of Clarence Clemons, what is your favorite Bruce song?

Mike Lombardi: Too Hard! I could never say just one song. Impossible but if I had to pick a song in honor of Clarence I would go with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

It may have been difficult getting out of bed this morning for many of you Miami sports fans with the Heat’s collapse in the NBA finals still fresh in your minds.

But there’s no better cure for those wounds than getting back to some Miami Dolphins’ football, something that may be right around the corner as speculation is beginning to brew that negotiations between the owners and players are heating up and a resolution could be a mere couple weeks away.

The Dolphins, after all, are South Florida’s true love. Their mediocre run these past couple years and the media’s obsession with the Heat haven’t changed that.

Being number one in Miami wouldn’t be possible without some of the all-time franchise greats we have been honoring recently. Today, we’ve arguably saved one of the best positions on the entire roster talent wise for last offensively.

No, centers typically don’t get the credit they probably deserve and some of our younger readers may not even recognize the following names, but both centers on our depth chart are widely considered to be top ten players in franchise history.

1. Dwight Stephenson (1980-1987): Few will argue that Dwight Stephenson was the greatest center to ever play the game. For all the greats that have played for Miami, Stephenson is probably the only one who is legitimately regarded as the greatest ever at his respected position. You could possibly even make a convincing argument for Stephenson being the greatest Dolphin not named Marino.

The 1998 Hall of Fame inductee was selected to five Pro Bowls, five All-Pro first teams, was named to the 1980’s All-Decade team, and was honored with the 1985 Walter Payton Man of the Year. There wasn’t a defensive tackle in the league Stephenson couldn’t handle.

In probably the greatest example of how special of a player he was, Stephenson played a huge role in containing the ’85 Bears’ 46 defense, which schemed by attacking the interior of the offensive line, in the Dolphins’ classic 1985 victory over the Bears on Monday Night Football.

To make a long story short, Dwight Stephenson was truly a special player and the Dolphins were beyond blessed to have him in aqua and orange.

One win, seven losses. The Miami Dolphins home record last season, making them the grand prize winners in the sweepstakes for team with the least home wins last year. Wait there isn’t a prize for that? Even the Bills, Browns and Panthers managed to win two games in front of their loyal fans. So what pray-tell is the Dolphins big problem with playing in South Florida?

Is it the heat?

Is it the night life distractions throughout the week?

Did the team just fall on some bad luck last season?

I’ll go with answer d) none of the above. The Dolphins have trouble playing at home because the fans are not 100% behind them. When you think of NFL fans you think of Steelers fans with their terrible towels, you think of the dog-pound in Cleveland, you even think of the 12^th man in Seattle... Seattle! The following article was written in 2008, but I think it is still relevant, ranking our fans as one of the worst in the league. The stadium is usually half empty, the fans who do show up shuffle in late, there is zero noise factor to distract the other team and the overall atmosphere is garbage. Where are the real fans?

Late last season, fans were booing our starting quarterback, and even started a “Henne Sucks” chant in the stands. I don’t want to turn this into a debate about Chad Henne’s ability to play quarterback, but the bottom line is that the fans need to stand behind the product that the organization puts on the field through thick and thin. We’ve been to the mountains and the valleys as a fan base, but now it is time to kick it into another gear. We need to show our team that we support them and show the opposing team that coming to Miami means more trouble than just dealing with the heat.

In the last five seasons only one team with a losing home record has made the playoffs (2007 New York Giants 3-5), four other teams (06’ Jets, 09 Cardinals (Doesn’t count because the NFC West is just so pathetic), 09’ Jets and 10’ Eagles) made the playoffs with 4-4 home records. The other 25 playoff teams had winning home records. A winning home record will be a key factor for the Dolphins this season if they want to make the playoffs, but they can’t do it alone. I am challenging the Miami Dolphin fan base to stand up and be counted, and to prove me wrong.

I had the pleasure of doing a phone interview with NFL Network and FOX Sports analyst Charles Davis. For some of you who don’t know Charles (@CFD22) , he spent his college years as a defensive back for the Tennessee Volunteers and became one of the biggest voices in the football world. Whether it’s on NFL Network doing NFL Total Access, Path to the Draft, or on FOX doing play by play on Sundays, Charles is one of the brightest football minds out there.

I wanted to pick Charles’s brain on a couple of Dolphins and also general NFL questions. Below is my interview with Charles Davis.

Daniel Eliesen: What are your thoughts on Chad Henne? Can he be the guy in Miami?

Charles Davis:  I definitely thought so two years ago, but now I am not as sure as I was then.  I called a Dolphins game a bit back, it was a Lions game and Henne had a great 3 quarters but down the stretch he started to make mistakes and that’s when I realized he needed to get his act together a bit. I still think that he can start next season but the Dolphins will definitely have to consider other options, but I do think that Henne will take the steps next year and take the starting job.

Daniel Eliesen: With the progress of the Jets and the consistency of the Pats, how far away do you think Miami is from the division or even playoffs?

Charles Davis: I don’t think there that far off right now. In fact, I was talking to a friend of mine in the Jets organization and I told him I think that Miami is the team to watch out for. Solid running game, a Mike Nolan defenSe, the addition of Brandon Marshall and Cam Wake coming off the edge. There are a couple of pieces that they need to look into, like the running game and whether or not to bring back Ronnie and Ricky but a Mike Nolan defense in it’s second year should be very solid. There not that far off right now but Henne is obviously the key. I think their still in the mix, and it also depends if the team wants to get behind Sparano who is on the ultimate hot seat.

Daniel Eliesen: You’re very in touch with the college game. How do you feel Miami did in this year’s draft?

Charles Davis: Pretty nicely. I think they hit all their needs with quality players. Pouncey was a no brainer and Gates will give them speed and I especially liked the runner Thomas even if Ronnie and Ricky are back.

Daniel Eliesen: How often do you go home after a long day and just go DAMN I wish this lockout was over?

Charles Davis: Every day man, every day. We all do. We want it for all of us, for the fans, for the analyst, for the merchandisers, the hotel owners, the concession stands, everybody is getting hurt by this lockout. Football is a part of who we are.

Daniel Eliesen: You call games on FOX. How much work do you guys put in behind the scenes before each game?

Charles Davis: Well we get to the city on Friday, and we go to the home team’s practice, we speak to the coaches, the coordinators, and some players and then the team’s media people and we try and figure out as much information as possible before the game. We will also try and talk to a local guy we know and get the scoop, and as soon as we’re done calling a game right away we get started for the next week. We certainly put in our work.

Daniel Eliesen: Knowing that you’re a former Volunteer, does that mean your Manning over Brady?

Charles Davis: Well yeah, we Volunteers got to stick together, so I’ll go Manning, but I certainly wouldn’t shed a tear if Brady was my QB either. We got a saying though VOL for life, so yeah I’ll stick with Peyton.

Daniel Eliesen: Lots of guys come on the NFL Network, which player has impressed you the most with his NFL knowledge?

Charles Clay: The guy I work with Warren Sapp. His knowledge of football and of assignments and where to be and understanding of the game is amazing. I call him Professor Sapp. You wouldn’t think because he is a defensive linemen he would be so knowledgeable, but it’s amazing watching him talk football and the terms that he knows. I try to take it all in when he talks. So I could chose a lot of guys but Ill go with Sapp.

Daniel Eliesen: This is a bit of a fan question but do you ever sit there and just think I got the best job in the world?

Charles Davis: All the time. I try not to do it on air and to focus but when I am alone or I am tired or stress you just realize how great this job is. I have plenty of guys who wouldn’t mind being in my shoes.

Contrary to the product they put on the field in 2010, the Dolphins have actually produced some of the greatest interior lineman to ever play the game. Richmond Webb and Jake Long highlighted our tackles on Monday, but the real star power resides inside.

Let’s inch a little closer to finishing up the offense by ranking the top four guards in team history. Feel free to disagree or comment below.

1. Larry Little (1969-1980): While we’re on the topic of undrafted free agent success stories with our Davone Bess interview still fresh in our minds, let’s recognize one of the greatest undrafted players in league history. Larry Little went undrafted in 1967 before signing with the San Diego Chargers. The Dolphins came calling two years later, offering cornerback Mack Lamb for his services. The Chargers regrettably accepted and the rest is history.

Little was a dominant run blocker as he had the strength to provide excellent push and the athletic ability to get out and pull. Little played an enormous role in enabling Csonka, Kiick, and Morris to be the unstoppable three-headed monster they were. His career accolades include selection to the 1969 AFL All-Star game, 5 Pro Bowl appearances, being named to the 1970’s All-Decade Team, and most prestigiously, induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.