Yesterday, we reported that Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel claimed defensive end Philip Merling is on the trading block. Kelly hinted that a tight end is a strong candidate for the compensation Miami will be looking for.

Currently, Anthony Fasano is the only tight end with any real game-day experience. Fasano has proved to be a nice piece in the offense, but more and more offenses around the league have two tight end sets and strong depth at the position. I think it would be wise if Miami followed suit. Many people will argue that the Dolphins drafted Charles Clay to fill that role. A valid point. However, Clay has been used mainly as a fullback so far in the preseason.

That being said, let’s not exaggerate here and say that the Dolphins should go after Winslow or Witten or whoever because Merling isn’t giving you that. Merling can probably get Miami a 5th/6th round draft pick in return or possibly a depth tight end or player.

Having a little tight end crush myself, I wanted to look into the possible number two tight ends Miami could possibly pursue.

I am in no way suggesting the Dolphins will pursue these guys, but it’s a couple of names to think about.

Evan Moore (Cle) – Last year Moore hauled in 322 yards and a TD and is 6-6 250 pounds. Moore posses the size and skill set that allow him to contribute in any offense. Watson is the number one tight end in Cleveland, but the Browns are high on Moore. 

 

Dante Rosario (Den) – We already know Denver is in the market for a defensive lineman, so a deal with the Broncos might be the easiest one to pull off. Rosario is 6-4 and has flashed that he can be a contributor in the passing game. Rosario had 313 yards two years ago along with two touchdowns and 264 yards last year. no comments

Omar Kelly said on WQAM radio that the Dolphins have put defensive end Philip Merling on the trading block and are in the market for a solid number two tight end.

With all the defensive line depth on this team, trading Merling would be a wise move. Tight End depth is definitely an area I would like to see improved. Two tight end sets have become very popular in the NFL and the Dolphins can use some TE depth with Charles Clay predominantly lining up as a FB.

Adam Schefter on WQAM's Sid Rosenberg’s show said that the Jags could cut or quietly shop Garrard if Gabbert takes over. Shefty also mentioned that Dolphins might be interested.

Personally, I don’t see this happening. Chad Henne will be the starting QB in Miami. While I think Garrard might be an upgrade, at this point of the preseason, the Dolphins are better off with Henne.

The Oakland Raiders selected Terrell Pryor in the 3rd round of the supplemental draft.



Side note: A phins fan you want to follow on twitter is @Robi2184. As far as knowledgeable fans go, this guy is high up there and knows his stuff. Good breaking alerts on all Dolphins' news!   

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Respect is one thing the Miami Dolphins aren't getting much of these days. Despite brining in a new offensive coordinator, the human pinball Reggie Bush and having a pretty decent draft this offseason, NFL “experts,” one after another, have decided to load the hate down on the Dolphins.

This morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the morning, the two Mike’s projected a nasty 3-13 record for the Dolphins this year.

ESPN once again took a chance to rip on the Dolphins in the preseason power rankings, putting the Dolphins at the bottom of the barrel at 24th overall

NFL.com “experts” had the Dolphins ranked at #21, while their generated fan rankings had them #22.

The Bleacher Report is the most optimistic on the Dolphins, ranking them at #20 in their power rankings. CBS was close to being as generous, putting them at #21. On the other hand, Yahoo was the harshest slotting Miami at #26 on their list.

Clearly, as the late Rodney Dangerfield once said, “I get no respect." That is probably exactly how the Dolphins feel right now.

I have no doubt all the haters will be posted all throughout the locker room and that Tony will only use the hate as motivation to try and get this team to the playoffs.

Last year’s motivational saying for the team was Feed the Wolf. This year the Wolf will be starving to prove that the Miami Dolphins can compete.

For the second consecutive week I felt the need to go back and look at the film. As opposed to Week 1 in Atlanta, however, when I was curious to see what went wrong, I wanted to see which players had the biggest impact in what went right on Friday night against the Panthers.

In particular, I was most intrigued by the turnaround of the running game. When dealing with broadcast film, it’s difficult to analyze things like Chad Henne’s reads or the coverage in the secondary. But we can easily do an in-depth study of the battles in the trenches.

The Dolphins dominated Carolina in the trenches Friday, showcasing a rejuvenated running game led by Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas. Let’s jump into the film to see which players made the difference.

There is a lot of material here, so this time I summed up each play with those that did something positive and those that did something negative, then tallied up a total rating for each player at the end of the post.

- Reggie Bush off right tackle for about a yard: Lousaka Polite, lead blocking for Bush, takes care of the safety going low to make the tackle. Anthony Fasano and Marc Colombo both keep their assignments at bay and out of the play.

Vernon Carey and Mike Pouncey pull out in front of Bush. Pouncey gets up out of stance and outside the tackle quickly, but begins to stumble and doesn’t get a block on anybody.

Carey tries to go low, but whiffs on the outside linebacker who gets to Bush behind the line of scrimmage. Just getting back to the line and gaining a yard is a testament to Bush, who breaks a tackle that would have resulted in about a two-yard loss.

Negative: Vernon Carey, Mike Pouncey
Positive: Anthony Fasano, Marc Colombo, Lousaka Polite, Reggie Bush

- Counter to Daniel Thomas off right tackle for less than a yard: Marc Colombo and Mike Pouncey each provide solid push. Vernon Carey attempts to block second line of defense, but play ends before he gets there. Richie Incognito pulls out in front of Thomas, seemingly laboring to do so. Richie gets a block on the safety, but probably should have chosen to get a body on the corner who assists on the tackle. Davone Bess comes in for a crack-back block, but gets in the way more than anything. Lousaka Polite initially stands up the defensive end, but fails to maintain and lets him shed the block and get in on the tackle.

Negative: Richie Incognito, Davone Bess, Lousaka Polite
Positive: Marc Colombo, Mike Pouncey

- Reggie Bush between the tackles for 17 yards: By design, Reggie begins to run towards the right side of the line, but cuts it back to the left. Mike Pouncey seals off the defensive tackle beautifully, Richie Incognito gets into the second line and removes the outside linebacker from the play, Lydon Murtha manhandles the defensive tackle, and Anthony Fasano keeps the defensive end in check. Reggie explodes into the second level and even breaks a tackle before being brought down.

Negative: none
Positive: Mike Pouncey, Richie Incognito, Lydon Murtha, Anthony Fasano, Reggie Bush

We would like to announce our search for a third blogger here at Phins Phocus. Daniel and I have been hard at work all summer long attempting to cover every angle of Miami Dolphins football. We want to crank our coverage up to another level once the regular season arrives, though, and a third writer is probably in order to do so.

We’re open to any quality assistance we can get. We are looking for someone who can post at least once per week, but we’re very open to a more frequent contributor as well.

We’ll ask for a sample of your writing for those that are interested, but if you have some talent as a writer, are a knowledgeable football fan, and love the Miami Dolphins, we’ll be able to find a role for you here at Phins Phocus.

If interested please shoot us an email via the contact forum which is positioned on the upper toolbar.