Wanted to keep you guys who are out of the loop on the latest on the lockout news informed. That being said it has been almost impossible not to hear about whats been going on out there in the NFL world.


Quick Update as of 11:21 AM 22/07/11

Mawae said NFLPA will consider proposal today and vote is possible but not likely, more likely vote happens this weekend, the league most likely will not open until the players approve the NFL proposal and vote to pass it.

AdamSchefter: reps emailed a letter to players, "We will meet again Monday to discuss our options and the direction we want to go."

@mortreport Chris Mortensen I believe things will be worked out over weekend. or very early next week. There is more optimism.


Quick update as of 21/07/11:

The NFL owners ratified the proposal to end the lockout 31-0 (with Oak deciding not to vote). That set up potential for Free Agency to being the 27th and the league to open on the 23rd if the players approved the vote.


The NFLPA is still looking for a global settlement. There will be no vote as of thursday night. Players haven't rejected the deal; they just want time to read it over. It's the rules they'll be playing under for the next 10 years.

There is a lot of buzz going around a lot of people blaming players. There are many players claiming this was all a PR move by the owners. Many players have gone on twitter and on NFL Network saying they havent seen the deal before and have sited different reasons why they dont think that the owners are offering a fair deal. NFLPA also launched two emails clearly stating there has been no deal which has been made yet. We really dont know what to believe but the bottom line is, as of today, there is NO DEAL DONE.

George Wilson (Buffalo Bills Player Rep) said that there is no time table as to when the players will vote.

Hope still floats, but its not over till the fat lady sings (aka Godell and De Smith).

Frustration, Aggravation, Irritation, Annoying, Nuisance; all adjectives that could describe the NFL lockout quite accurately. That being said, today is supposed to be the day that it all gets settled. Yesterday the players voted conditionally to approve the new CBA and the owners will reportedly meet in Atlanta today and also vote to approve the new CBA. Obviously, we can’t take anything for granted in this process, but today is SUPPOSED to be the day this mess comes to an end.

If all goes as planned, teams will have the opportunity to resign their players on the 25th and free agency would open on the 28th.

So whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist or whatever you might be, let us pray that this all ends today!

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.