There was Watergate, Spygate, and now there is Shirtgate. Currently in the official Miami Dolphins team store is a New York Jets t-shirt that says “Home of the Jets” on it. This has been confirmed by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and even made national news on Pro Football Talks website.

Many Dolphins fans on twitter are insulted and very upset.  After this scandal started becoming a huge story on twitter, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said that at the request of fans, the team will "remove immediately" the #Jets shirt.

Possibly one of the main reasons for the rage that has come from the Dolphins' fan base is that both Jets and Patriots team stores are not carrying ANY Dolphins' apparel.

Personally, I was annoyed when the news broke, but I didn’t think it was as big of a deal as many other fans did.  A bigger issues for me is the fans that show up at to Sun Life (Which aren’t nearly enough). For the fans that do show up to the game, our Sun Life Stadium is quieter then a library.

So Dolfans stop crying over shirtgate and step up and make some noise this season!

It’s been a reoccurring theme here at Phins Phocus to start every post with a daily update from the labor front. The good news is that trend is reportedly on the brink of coming to an end, as the players and owners now appear to be virtually the voting process away from finalizing a new deal.

Our days as pretend legal analysts are almost a thing of the past and we can thankfully concentrate solely on what we do best: discussing Miami Dolphins’ football.

It’s been like pulling teeth at times this offseason trying to come up with interesting and relative reading material, but things are about to change rather rapidly here once we have a new CBA.

Free agency and training camp basically opening simultaneously is going to stir up a league-wide frenzy. It’s going to be exciting and possibly a little overwhelming, especially considering that the Dolphins are expected to be major players in free agency with holes to fill at quarterback, running back, and outside linebacker among lesser needs and the impending addition of several undrafted rookies.

There’s no doubt that we’re experiencing the calm before the storm. We’ve been passing the time by previewing Dolphins’ training camp, which, if the schedule isn’t interrupted by the lockout, will kick off a week from today.

Contrast to tradition, we’re only looking at the positions that won’t drastically change in free agency. As you already know, the Dolphins will be signing or possibly even trading for at least two potential starters. Once those positions have been addressed, their outlook will drastically change depending who is brought in.

The secondary likely won’t be adjusted much by Jeff Ireland, outside of a few roster fringe moves. I suppose there is always the chance that the Dolphins land a starting caliber free safety, but with a weak market and two promising young players in Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones set to battle it out, Miami is probably content with what they have.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN FREE AGENCY
Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones flashed too much potential in 2010 for the Dolphins to go out and spend big bucks to reel in a quality starting free safety. Odds are one will emerge as a solid player for the Dolphins’ secondary.

Obviously, the Dolphins are set on the top end of corner as well, with two stars in the making and a valuable veteran presence that projects to take over nickel corner duties.

Expect the Dolphins to add at least one or two free agent cornerbacks, though, most likely of the undrafted rookie variety, as they opened camp with nine corners on the roster a year ago and presently only have six under contract.

CORNERBACKS

SAFE

Vontae Davis: He may not be there quite yet, but after watching the progress Vontae Davis made in his second season as a pro, it’s clear that the Dolphins have themselves an elite corner in the making. Some naive fans point to Vontae’s decline in interceptions from four as a rookie to only one last year as a sign he regressed as a sophomore. But picks don’t even tell half of the story.

After being burned deep frequently as a rookie, Davis was targeted far less in his second season and rarely gave up the big play. In addition to being sound in coverage, he’s also established himself as a complete football player. He’ll come up and make plays in run support when need be and he’s an exceptionally physical open-field tackler.

I expect him to continue to build off of the improvement he made in his second season and eventually establish himself as one of the league’s top corners.

The final days of the NFL lockout are upon us. With free agency drawing near, the rumors are beginning to circulate every which direction. As always, plenty of that speculation involves the Miami Dolphins, who are usually one of the league’s more attractable destinations.

To get a full recap of the rumor mill, check out Daniel’s post from earlier this morning. But I want to zero in on one rumor, or should I say one man’s opinion, that surfaced last night when Peter King said he expects Donovan McNabb to end up in Miami.

We’ve talked about many quarterbacks this offseason, Carson Palmer, Kyle Orton, and Vince Young to name a few. But one name that hasn’t been discussed much until now is McNabb. It was thrown out there as a possibility when it was made known that the Redskins would likely release him when the lockout is over, but many quickly dismissed the Dolphins as his landing spot because Miami won’t be running a West Coast offense under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

But would a transition to more of a run-oriented scheme really be that difficult for McNabb to overcome? It’s not like he’s a college quarterback who’s coming to the league after playing four years in a spread offense where he never took snaps under center or rarely was forced to go through progressions.

For those of you who don’t know, the West Coast offense is a pass first scheme that attempts to utilize more of a horizontal passing game. Maybe at his age, McNabb would benefit from relying on his running game more often. Now, Brian Daboll is thought be installing more of a vertical passing game this season, but McNabb is certainly capable of throwing the ball down field. And it’s not like the Dolphins wouldn’t tailor their offense to whoever the starting quarterback is.

To make a long story short, I don’t believe McNabb has to sign with a team that employs the West Coast offense. But that is far from the only concern that would come with signing the 34-year-old veteran.

Things are heating up as the NFL lockout is SUPPOSE to be ending Wednesday or Thursday and the excitement for free agency has begun. Free agency is scheduled to begin on the 28th of July.  Already, the buzz is going crazy, as many agents are starting all kinds of rumors trying to build up their client’s value. Here is a little up to date recap of a couple of things that have been going around the rumor mill.

Jason LaCanfora (NFL Network) – Said on NFL Total Access that the Miami Dolphins will set the market for Reggie Bush

-          LaCanfora also said that Tarvaris Jackson will also be on the Dolphins radar.

Adam Schefter

- Said on Espn's the Herd that Miami Dolphin will make a splash right away for a running back

- Adam Schefter on the The Herd said Pitt, Mia, NYG, and Tampa all potential suitors for Bush and that he isnt likely to return to the Saints


Peter King (Sports Illustrated)

-          Also made his statements on NFL Total Access saying he believe Donovan McNabb will be a Miami Dolphin

-           Appearing on NFL Network Total Access Monday, SI's Peter King said he'd be "surprised" if the Vikings were able to re-sign free agent Sidney Rice.

Plaxico Burress (WR)

-          On Sid Rosenberg’s show, Plax expressed his interest in playing for the Dolphins. Omar Kelly, however, stated that the feeling is not mutual from Miami.

Drew Rosenhaus (Super Agent)

-          Stated on a Miami radio show that his client Ahmad Bradshaw would love to play for the Dolphins

-          That being said, Bradshaw, on @1050espnNY, just said the #NYG are his "first option" in free agency. He said "I love New York more than anything."

- Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN's Mike & Mike says he has already planned out mock free agency situations for his clients

-Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN's Mike & Mike that teams have boards and plans already all set up for which players they will go after


Tim Hasselbeck (ESPN)

-          Said that he expects his brother Matt to sign in Tennessee

Phoenix Beat writer Mike Jurecki

-           Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 in Phoenix, reports that the Cardinals "are prepared" to offer Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie "straight up" for Kevin Kolb when free agency kicks off.

Pro Football Talk

- Reported that Kolb  said on idea of going to Arizona: "I've obviously envisioned myself there"

Buffalo Beat writer

- Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 in Buffalo considers free agent Tyler Thigpen the "odds-on favorite" to be the Bills' backup quarterback this season.

Free agency frenzy is scheduled to start either July 25^th or July 28^th.  That being said, I wanted to do a Dolphins’ state of the franchise before free agency took place.  My state of the franchise will be done a little differently than most. I am going to go up and down the roster and evaluate where Miami stands by 4 different criteria:  Super Bowl caliber, playoff caliber, league average, and below league average. I think these four category groups are a good display of letting the fan base know exactly where I think the Dolphins stand at each position on the field.

Quarterback: Below League Average

Solution: Bring in competition for Henne

Whether you have thrown in the towel or not on Chad Henne, it will be hard to argue that brining in a stable backup or veteran option would harm the young quarterback. Some might forget, while pouring their Hater-ade all over him, but Chad Henne is still a young QB in this league.  While I personally don’t feel Henne is the solution, I do believe bringing in competition might elevate his game.  If that doesn’t work for Henne it at least could present itself as a short-term solution to have a veteran start for the Dolphins the next two years potentially. 

QB is obviously the most important player on any team so it goes without saying that it is Miami’s biggest concern. But a quick fix may not be enough to put them over the top.

Running Back: League Average

Solution: Bring in a compliment running back for Daniel Thomas

Some people might think I am too harsh on this rating but the fact is it would be hard to argue that Daniel Thomas, who has never stepped on an NFL field, is better than 16 other NFL running backs. That being said, RB is the position that can go through the most growth and very quickly. By simply adding an X-factor at running back like Darren Sproles or Reggie Bush or going the route of DeAngelo Williams or Ahmad Bradshaw it would immediately make this team’s backfield, at the very least, playoff worthy.

Wide Receivers: Playoff Caliber

Solution: Brandon Marshall enters BEAST MODE all season

Many people are quick to criticize Brandon Marshall because of his only average 1^st year in Miami, but if you can put his immaturity to the side, Marshall is easily a top 5 NFL WR. Alongside Marshall is maybe the best slot receiver the NFL has to offer in Davone Bess.  Gates and Hartline bring a solid amount of depth, speed and skill to the mix to round up the crew. The only reason I put Miami’s WR core at playoff caliber and not Super Bowl caliber is because Marshall needs to up his game the way he can for this to be one of the NFL’s elite receiving cores.