With news of defensive end Phillip Merling officially facing felony charges for aggravated battery on a woman he should have known was pregnant, a possible suspension hangs in the balance.

The ongoing trial, which could warrant Roger Godell to issue disciplinary action, combined with reports suggesting Merling was already on "thin ice" before the incident, and the fact that he's been a disappointment on the field ever since being selected by Miami in the second-round of the 08' draft, could be enough for the Dolphins to cut ties with the third-year veteran.

And really, regardless of the depth Merling would bring to defensive end, it's probably necessary for someone on this team to at least get a slap on the wrist with all the nonsense that has been going on this offseason. The hype generating personnel moves made by this front office have overshadowed this team's legal troubles, culminated by four arrest (Tony McDaniel, Will Allen, Ronnie Brown, Phillip Merling) and more possible chargers on the way, with Brian Hartline's recent mishaps off I-595.

Someone needs to get either suspended or released, so our conscience can let us love this football team again, because I don't think any fan truly wants to root for a bunch of thugs every Sunday. Of the troubled players mentioned, the nature of Merling's charges surely makes him the most likely culprit for disciplinary action, whether that be a suspension, release, or both.

Tony McDaniel is a lesser known backup, who's domestic violence accusation carries less relevance. Will Allen and Ronnie Brown meanwhile, are first time DUI offenders, who have always been perceived as high-character guys in the past. Merling on the other hand, allegedly hit a pregnant woman.

The words cowardly and spineless fail to give Merling's actions, if true, justice. You can't simply sweep something like that under the rug. There needs to be a consequence. And if you have any class or moral obligation at all, even if you are a die-hard Dolphins fan who fully realizes Merling could provide an excellent three-man rotation at defensive end, you have to hope something is done-either by the league or the team.

You can argue that once camp kicks off in a little under two weeks, the most intriguing storyline will be the competition at both guard spots. It may surprise you that an offensive line who produced the league's fourth best rushing attack could have two new guards crack the starting lineup, but the fact of the matter is, Miami has had a hard time running the ball between the tackles the past couple years.

Center Jake Grove helped that cause immensely last year, coming over from Oakland in the offseason, but the former line coach in Sparano could easily spot where upgrades needed to be made. Justin Smiley, when healthy, wasn't exactly a player who needed to be replaced from a production standpoint, but the injuries he has sustained over his career and the fact that there were legitimate concerns about his shoulder never being the same again, gave the Dolphins enough incentive to search for his replacement.

The front office addressed both positions this offseason, when they signed the talented, but troubled Richie Incognito, brought over Cory Procter from Dallas, and drafted Ole Miss' John Jerry in the third round. Will this interior line makeover produce a much more stable rushing attack? Or will Miami quickly miss the services of Justin Smiley?

Safe

Richie Incognito: A player like Brandon Marshall comes to Miami with some off-field baggage. Richie Incognito, however, comes to town with on-field baggage, derived from a hot-temper that has motivated him to frequently commit dumb personal foul penalties, including the notorious head butt.  

Putting Richie in the starting lineup would definitely have it's risks, considering penalties of the 15-yard variety quickly kill drives. But if he can somehow harness some of that emotion, and use that anger to feed his already nasty streak in a strictly legal fashion, there's plenty of upside to this move.

Because the guy is an exceptional run blocker, and has the ability to bolster an already top five running game. Many consider him the favorite to win the job at right guard too. He's been battling Donald Thomas throughout OTA's, but you really can't have a competition on the offensive line when hitting is prohibited. My guess is, Richie runs away with this thing, if he can keep his head....to himself.

John Jerry: Jerry wasted no time making a good impression on this coaching staff. The 6'5, 328 pound rookie saw first team reps almost the second he stepped in with the veterans, and rotated off and on all spring. If all he had to do was run block, he would probably be a lock to start, because the size and strength he brings to the table should translate into down-hill running for Ronnie and Ricky.

There are some concerns about his quickness though, with some experts suggesting he has "heavy feet." If he struggles in pass protection and pulling when need be, Cory Procter could become the favorite to snag the starting job at left guard.

Donald Thomas: After Thomas won the starting job in his rookie training camp, after being taken in the sixth round of the 2008 draft, many fans were proclaiming he was this regime's first late-round gem. He missed all of the 2008 season though, with a broken foot, but earned the starting job again in last year's camp.

Thomas started twelve games in 09', but struggled in pass protection and wasn't the plowing run blocker his strength suggested he would be. He hasn't been completely kicked off the starting lineup, but it would probably take a meltdown by Incognito to win the job at right guard.

Cory Procter: Procter comes to Miami as the icing on the cake in an outstanding offseason from a personnel standpoint. He has the versatility to play either guard or center, and has eleven games of starting experience under his belt with the Cowboys in 08'.

Even though he was getting starting reps every other workout in the spring, he only projects as a solid backup who significantly upgrades the Dolphins depth at the position. But he's a nice insurance policy if the rookie has his bumps in the road early on.

With all of this talk in the media about the Dolphins being a contender in the AFC, I thought it would be appropriate to disperse where the pressure, that comes with these expectations, lies throughout the organization. This will be part one of a three part series, that will evaluate the offense, defense, and coaching staff.

Today we start with the coaching staff, and discuss how much pressure head coach Tony Sparano, offensive coordinator Dan Henning, and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan have on their shoulders heading into the 2010 season. Below each coach and brief description is a pressure meter that manifest itself in a 1 to 10 bar, with one obviously being no pressure, and ten being on the hot seat.

Tony Sparano: When expectations for a football team rise, the person that is the center of attention, and vulnerable to the most criticism is usually the head coach. Nowadays, it seems as though football coaches, both at the collegiate and pro levels, are strictly only on one-year contracts.

Because in reality, one bad season is all it takes for an entire fan base to call for the coaches head. And on many occasions, those fans typically get what they want. You would like to think the established coaches are the exception to this rule, but seeing how Denver and Tampa Bay rid themselves of two Super Bowl winning head coaches last year, in Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, it's easy to see why no one is truly safe.

After leading Miami to the AFC East title in 08', it would have probably taken a one or two win catastrophe in 09' for Sparano to lose his job. Now though, with many expecting the Dolphins to at least be in the playoff discussion come December, Sparano could quickly find himself on the hotseat with only five wins or less.

The circumstances behind such a dismal season would likely determine his fate. But because many still consider this to be Bill Parcells team, Sparano may get a pass in the media and with the fans.

Dan Henning: Some wanted Henning out of town at the beginning of the offseason, after some questionable playcalling from time to time last year. The Dolphins retained him however, and gave him a shiny new toy to play with, when they traded for Brandon Marshall.

Henning can now open up the offense with a down-field threat like Marshall for defenses to scheme around. There is some debate about how much they should open things up though, as the Dolphins are still built to be a run-first team. Whatever Henning plans to do, it better work, because this offense is too talented to not be a top ten unit in 2010.

If they do struggle, it could have more to do with Chad Henne not being able to take that next step as a quarterback than Henning's playcalling, but nonetheless he will likely be looking for work next offseason if this offense doesn't become the dynamic, high-scoring unit many envision them being.

Mike Nolan: Nolan takes over a defense that finished 22nd overall a year ago, but likely must improve drastically overnight in order for the Dolphins to become a Super Bowl contender. Much has been made of Nolan's transformation of a Broncos' defense that rounded out the 08' season 29th in the league in total defense, into the 7th overall unit we saw last season. Can he do the same in Miami?

His track record indicates he can, but with so many uncertainties all over the field, it would be hard to put too much of the blame on Nolan if things don't pan out. After all, it was this front office that assembled the current roster, not Nolan. But nonetheless, the fans will expect a similar turnaround for the Dolphins, even though I think you would be hard pressed to find a better man for the job than Nolan, even if his new defense has it's fair share of struggles in year one.

So what are your thoughts? What kind of year would it take to put Sparano on the hotseat? And how well does the offense and defense need to perform for the coordinators to stay put?

Some breaking and shocking news just hit the airwaves. Dolphins nose tackle Jason Ferguson announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the following statement:

 “You get what you put into this game. I would like to thank my family, the fans and the organizations that I have been a part of for their continued support throughout my career, it’s been an absolute blessing to play this long. I have built a lot of relationships, you develop an extended family playing this game; I would like to thank that extended family, the teammates, the coaches, the support staffs that have all played a part of a great ride."

Many expected Ferguson to retire after he was suspended for the first eight games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but he re-signed with the Dolphins anyway. My guess is, knowing he was already going to miss half the season and that he probably wouldn't return as the starter when he was eligible if Randy Starks transitioned to nose smoothly, probably made the sound of the grind that will come with training camp opening in a couple weeks not worth it.

Obviously, this hurts the Dolphins insurance at the position, with Starks being unproven at the nose and Paul Soliai struggling last season, but the only way this actually hurts their 2010 season, is if Starks does indeed struggle or is injured. So, let's just hope this regime knows what they are doing with this gamble of a move.

Let's also wish Ferguson a happy and healthy life after football, and extend a big thank you for the two years he put in for the Dolphins. There's no question, he played a huge role in helping the Dolphins transition to the 3-4 defense so effortlessly in the 08' season.

There was a time when Dolphin fans could pull the disrespect card. There was a time when the Dolphins could understandably put on the cliche "us against the world" mentality, and get motivation from the media's constant downplaying of anything they did.

That may have been the case with the success they had in 2008, but it's becoming evident that more and more high-profile media members are starting to buy into Miami as a legitimate contender, who is not only a threat to win the AFC East, but could have the potential to make a deep playoff run.

Today was no exception. On the NFL Network's Around the League, Micheal Lombardi said some things about the Dolphins, other analyst seem hesitant, maybe even afraid to.

The topic was which AFC team would improve the most in 2010. Lombardi confidently picked the Dolphins, raving about how Brandon Marshall brings big play potential to an offense who's execution was already outstanding.

He also pointed out how people forget they beat the Jets twice last season, and even went as far as to say he thinks they are the team to beat in the AFC East. Talk about going out on a limb.