If you’re not following Brandon Marshall on twitter yet, you’re missing out. Not only because he’s the Dolphins’ biggest star, but because a personality like his is sure to use twitter as an avenue to post all sorts of interesting comments, albeit let’s just hope none of the controversial variety. So far, Marshall has used twitter as a campaign ad for the Dolphins to sign Mike Sims-Walker, Brandon’s former teammate at Central Florida and a impending free agent. A sample of Marshall’s tweets that lobby for Mike Sims-Walker to bring his talents to South Beach are below:

@Mattst99 if we had @MikeSimsWalker it'll be a show every Sunday.

@MikeSimsWalker where r u taking ur talents?

RT @Str8_Joker: imagine IF @MikeSimsWalker takes his talents to South Beach, he'd reunite with @BMarshall19 , talk about a top 5 WR duo in the NFL

RETWEET MikeSimsWalker RT @ProFootballTalk: Mike Sims-Walker would like to follow in LeBron's footsteps http://wp.me/p14QSB-v4J... http://tmi.me/85zri

I'm D-Wade and @MikeSimsWalker is Lebron.

While this may all appear like Marshall is just trying to reunite with a buddy, the Dolphins signing Sims-Walker would actually make a lot of sense. Jeff Ireland admitted himself that the Dolphins need to add more speed. Sims-Walker would be a useful asset for the Dolphins as a target that could help stretch the field. Looking at the Dolphins’ offense, there isn’t one player that makes defenses wary of the home-run.

Sims-Walker ran in the mid 4.3’s in his pre-draft workouts back in 2007. That’s the type of speed this offense could use if they want to be more explosive and produce more big-gainers in 2011. The move makes perfect sense on paper, but whether or not the Dolphins will be willing to dish out a lucrative contract to a receiver, a position that could use some more speed but doesn’t necessarily have to have it, in an offseason where offensive guard, running back, quarterback, and tight end are more pressing needs, is up for debate.

It would probably all depend on whether or not Sims-Walker is willing to give the Dolphins a bit of a discount to stay in his home state and play with his old college teammate. Based on these tweets, though, I’m sure Marshall has been in his ear, trying to convince him to do just that. With no end in sight to the lockout, however, Marshall and Sims-Walker are going to have to be patient to hear the Dolphins answer to all of this.

Dolphins awarded 7th-round compensatory draft pick
It probably won’t amount to anything, but the Dolphins were awarded the 234th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft today for the departures of Jason Taylor and nickel back Nate Jones in free agency last offseason. It’s not likely, but who knows, that pick could be used to find a real late-round gem.

Bill Parcells now officially has no ties to the Dolphins. The Big Tuna stepped down from his role as a consultant with the team to take a draft analyst position with ESPN today.

Under Parcells’ watch as vice president of football operations, the Dolphins rebounded from their worse season in franchise history by pulling off one of the most improbable playoff berths in league history in 2008. After a mediocre 2009 season, though, that saw the Dolphins finish 7-9, Parcells relinquished full control of player personnel to Jeff Ireland before the 2010 season.

So, really, today’s news means nothing at all. Parcells was basically just getting paid top dollar to poke his head in the door every now and then. Still though, now that Parcells officially has no title with the team, it’s as good of a time as ever to reflect on the few years he spent in Miami.

As a coach and football mind, Parcells’ legacy is as intact as any NFL legend. But here in South Beach, how exactly will Dolphins fans recall Parcells’ impact on this franchise? Back in 2007, the Dolphins were the laughing stock of the entire league. They were a fluke 64-yard Cleo Lemon hookup with Greg Camarillo away from completing the first 0-16 season in NFL history. They were in the lowest of lows. They were in a place one of the most storied franchises in the league should never be. They needed an icon to restore respectability, to restore hope.

Bill Parcells was just what the Dolphins needed. From the moment he stepped in the door, a culture change was almost simultaneous. But just because the man was respected and could instantly change the perception of an entire franchise, was he really the reason the Dolphins were able to pull off such a drastic turnaround? no comments

Despite Tony Sparano saying that Chad Henne “absolutely deserves another chance” to be the starter in Miami, the Dolphins, at the very least, are strongly considering taking a quarterback in the first few rounds of next month’s draft.

We’ve already taken a look at the top three quarterbacks in this year’s class, but now we get to some of the prospects that I am personally more intrigued by. They also happen to be much more realistic options for the Dolphins, as Gabbert and Newton are projected by many to come off the board in the first five picks and Jake Locker certainly should be considered one of the more risky prospects in the entire draft.

Ryan Mallett is on today’s slate. Heading into this offseason, I actually considered Mallett second only to Blaine Gabbert in my quarterback rankings. His stock took a bit of a tumble, though, when rumors about his character surfaced. But after a very impressive combine and a pro day workout some scouts labeled “spectacular,” Mallett has resurfaced as a legitimate first round possibility.

He undoubtedly will still be available when the Dolphins are on the clock at pick number 15, but trading down to later in the first round and snagging Mallett if he’s still on the board could be the best case scenario for a team looking to retrieve a second round pick as well as pick up a new potential franchise quarterback.

Ryan Mallett
School: Arkansas
Size: 6-7, 247
40: 4.36
Projected Round: 1-2

Pros: People want to rant and rave about how much athletic ability this year’s quarterback class brings to the table. That’s all well and good, but at the end of the day, I want to know who throws the football better. Ryan Mallett arguably has the most gifted arm in this year’s draft. From the moment he steps on an NFL field, he’s going to have one of the strongest arms in the entire league. He’ll be able to make any throw in football and will force defenses to cover the entire field.

Some experts knocked his accuracy when the offseason evaluation process was kicking off, but Mallett was on the money consistently at the combine and at his pro day. Combine his size (6’7) with his high, quick release, and Mallett should never have any trouble with seeing over the line or getting his passes tipped or batted down. He was solid at reading defenses and going through his progressions in college, which gives him the potential to pick defenses apart with his laser-rocket arm. Overall, just one of the most natural quarterbacks in this year’s class.

It’s no secret that the Dolphins will likely be drafting a quarterback at some point in next month’s draft. They’ve been doing their due diligence by scheduling workouts with some of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class in the same manner they conducted a similar search before taking Chad Henne in 2008.

Through this whole process, though, it’s important to maintain that Chad Henne could very well be the starter again in 2011, if not the more likely option to start the season over whichever rookie the Dolphins draft. Tony Sparano echoed that line of thinking today to the Palm Beach Post.

GM Jeff Ireland and owner Stephen Ross haven’t exactly been the most endorsing of Henne to the media this offseason, but Sparano gave him a firm vote of confidence. "(Henne) absolutely deserves a chance. No question about it," Sparano said. "There's other players that are pretty good quarterbacks in this league, that if I remember correctly, like their first year in the league were 3-13 (Peyton Manning). "All you have to do is go back through the 900-and-something snaps that this guy has played and say, 'Did he show progress, did he get better in different areas?' And yes, he did."

Now, of course, we have to remember to take everything we hear from this regime with a grain of salt due to the fact that they tend to say one thing and do another in the offseason. And even though the Dolphins likely will, and should, find a new potential answer to the long term solution at quarterback, Chad Henne should at least be given the chance to compete for the job. It’s not too late for the light bulb to finally turn on in Henne’s head.

I still don’t think it’s likely, but like I’ve said before, Drew Brees had similar struggles to Henne in his first two years as the starter in San Diego. Competition needs to be brought in this offseason, there’s no denying that, but until someone else seizes the job, it’s still too early to write Henne off.