We've seen this so many times as Dolphins fans, the Dolphins falling short of a win in the 4th quarter.  Today, the Dolphins on the field had nothing to do with the Dolphins chances for a 300 million dollar renovation for Sun Life Stadium.  After the news was broken by NFL Network's Albert Breer, the bad news is that the Dolphins renovation bill being killed means zero chance for a Super Bowl in the near future.  More importantly, the Miami Dolphins are in a pinch on how to pay for a costly renovation to the stadium.

On what had seemed so promising by Stephen Ross and politicians in Miami Dade, it seemed like the deal was in the bag like Dan Marino's 36 comeback wins.  However, when Dan Marino on Thursday, went to Tallahassee to drum up support for the bill in the House, the exchange of pleasantries did nothing to sway the vote in the Dolphins favor.  

Responsible for killing the bill prior to a vote was Will Weatherford, Speaker of the House in the State Legislature of Florida.  

The bill was squashed before Dade County citizens had a chance to vote whether or not they approve of a 7% hotel tax, up 1% from the previous tax. A tax that merely affects people who travel to Miami or anyone who stays in a hotel in Dade County.

The bill, based on Steve Ross' estimation leaves 4,000 potential workers out in the cold in an area where good local jobs are hard to come by.

In reality, this proves to be a dark day for Dolphins fans.  A dark day because after all of the free agency and draft frenzy, Dolphins fans cannot choose whether they want the Dolphins to remain in Miami.  Miamians, the very people who have supported the team since 1966 cannot lend their support at the polls to better the stadium and better the experience.

Needless to say, Stephen Ross is estimated to be worth 5 billion dollars, so finding a private lender shouldn't be difficult. However as one fellow follower and insightful fan pointed out: " Stephen Ross can screw the public, but screwing over the private lenders is a different story." 

Consequently, if the funds are not there to renovate Sun Life Stadium, then it is possible and sad that the Dolphins of Miami might not be able to compete in Miami. Should this be the last effort from owner Stephen Ross, he has no choice, but to cash in his proverbial chips.  Any future owner of the Dolphins inherits 102 million in future deals and an aging stadium.  Not exactly the attractive South Beach supermodel the Dolphins once were.

Sad but true, but the Dolphins today because of the State of Florida...make me cry. 

Since the conclusion of the 2013 NFL Draft, we've outlined our thoughts and opinions regarding all nine of the Miami Dolphins selections, especially first round pick Dion Jordan. The general consensus is that Jeff Ireland's aggressive approach to the draft while sticking to his board throughout the entire process will prove to be a success. It was also key that the General Manager put the team in a position to win now without risking the future.

We thought it would be interesting to provide some insight on the Dolphins draft from a different perspective; this time from the point of view of the enemy. Our friends over at OneJetAtATime.com, the New York Jets blog here on the Bloguin network, graded each day of the Dolphins draft including an overall mark on how they think their division rivals fared.

Below is the analysis of Brian Johnson - the creater of One Jet At A Time - on the Dolphins draft haul. For my thoughts and grades on the Jets draft, click here.

Day 1:

The Dolphins would come out on Day 1 and make an immediate splash (pun intended.) Miami would trade-up with their first (12th overall) and one of their two second round (42nd overall) picks, to draft DE Dion Jordan, with Oakland's 3rd overall pick. Dion Jordan was the top pass-rusher in this draft, one the Jets would've gone 'giddy' over had he fell to 9th overall.

I like the pick for Miami, as it addressed a top need at DE, while giving them one of the best players in the draft. Giving up their 42nd overall pick was a little much, in my opinion, but if he plays up to his potential, it'll all be worth it.

Jeff Ireland took no time to rest up after an eventful draft week moving quickly to try and solve the team’s holes on the offensive line. The Dolphins currently are very thin at OT and have been looking for solutions all off-season.

 After the departure of Jake Long, it seemed that a trade for Brandon Albert was all but inventible. However Ireland wouldn’t cave to Chiefs GM’s demands and a potential deal has basically gone sour.

This week the Dolphins were very busy doing their due diligence on all available options to help out the position. The Dolphins hosted several OT’s not only meeting with them but having them do drills, running and truly assessing each possible options.

Option 1: Eric Winston

Winston’s name has been connected to the Dolphins all offseason. Fans have been waiting and waiting yet Winston still remains available. Winston is solid fit for this scheme and has played at a very high level the past couple of seasons. Winston could be slotted into the RT position with confidence while leaving Jonathan Martin at LT where people claim he has played his best football. Winston will be working out with the team this Wednesday. Winston offers potential leadership to the locker room and mentioned that he will be targeting 3-4M. Winston was ranked 9th among RT’s last season. Winston is familiar with the zone blocking scheme in Miami and has previously played for Mike Sherman. He allowed just three sacks in 2012. Every other RT with 3 or less sacks allowed played fewer pass block snaps than Winston.

Option 2: Eugene Monroe

The Jags LT might be on the block after the team drafted Luke Joekel 2^nd overall. Monroe would probably cost the Dolphins a 1^st or 2^nd  round pick to acquire but is a player about to enter his prime and is already a top 10 tackle in the league. Monroe would really stabilize the position but it remains uncertain if he available.

Option 3: Tyson Clabo

Clabo, formally responsible for keeping Matt Ryan upright, is another player the Dolphins did not previously have any interest in. On Wednesday the team has brought in the tackle for a visit. Matt Miller ranked Tyson Clabo as his 8^th best RT in 2012 and considers him as a quality player. The Clabo option is an intriguing one, we shall see if it is in fact the direction they go. Clabo is 6’6, 330 and has played in a power blocking scheme before.

Option 4: Bryant Mckinnie

The Dolphins brought in South Florida native, Bryant Mckinnie on Tuesday who they had previously had no interest in. Mckinnie has also gone to SD for a visit and the Ravens remain an option for him. Mckinnie has been around and is a seasoned vet who played very well for the Ravens down the stretch in the playoffs. Mckinnie would be a true 1 year stop gap as he isn’t the ideal fit for this scheme and isn’t the ideal fit for the locker room, that being said if he performs like he did last January the Dolphins would be in good shape.  

Option 5: Winston Justice

The Dolphins are bringing in the former Colts and Eagles OT for a workout Wednesday. Personally this is my least favorite of the possible OT solutions. The Dolphins are probably just doing their due diligence on all the options available to them.

After an offseason that included a free agent spending spree that made the Miami Dolphins the most popular name in all of football in the past few months, most people have concluded that Ireland is going all in for the 2013 season.

Ireland’s expenditure itinerary included Dannell Ellerbe, Philip Wheeler, Brent Grimes, Lance Louis, Dustin Keller, Brandon Gibson, and Mike Wallace – who was arguably this free agent class’ top player. Ireland also focused on retaining his own talent by resigning wide receiver Bian Hartline, back up quarterback Matt Moore, utility lineman Nate Garner, and safety Chris Clemons.

After aggressively attacking free agency, he still had many holes to fill on this talented but incomplete roster – particularly at left tackle. Ireland did not think franchise left tackle Jake Long was worth the $8.5 million annually he received from the Rams, which is why Ireland let the player he selected first overall in the 2008 NFL Draft walk away from the only team he has ever known.

Going into the 2013 draft class, the Dolphins’ primary needs were at left tackle, cornerback, defensive end, and tight end. The question was: which one was Ireland going to prioritize with this class? With just seconds left on the clock, the Dolphins made a move up to the third overall pick to select what many pundits predicted would be a franchise left tackle. However, when push came to shove, Ireland pulled the trigger on the player he claims to have scouted since the tail end of 2011: Oregon defensive end/linebacker Dion Jordan.

The addition of Dion Jordan, who was universally seen as a “special player” and the best defender in this draft, not only adds to an already vicious pass rush, but also fills a huge need across All-Pro defensive end/linebacker Cameron Wake. Jordan isn’t just a pass rusher. He’s very fluid in space, and his 4.5 wheels help him excel in coverage. He’s going to be a building block for the Dolphins to focus on for at least the next decade, which they paid peanuts for in terms of draft pick compensation.

With the additions of cornerbacks Jamar Taylor, Will Davis, Don Jones, and safety Keelan Johnson, Ireland clearly made upgrading his secondary another top priority on draft weekend. He also addressed his tight end situation by adding Michigan State tight end Dion Sims, who some draftniks called this draft class’ best blocking tight end, which will be a huge asset considering it’s an area where Dustin Keller struggles.

Lastly, Ireland addressed his left tackle situation to by adding Tennessee offensive lineman Dallas Thomas. Thomas was incredibly versatile at Tennessee, playing at various parts of the line. Experts say he’s best suited for an interior role, which is fine considering Richie Incognito will be 30 in July, is a poor fit for the Dolphins’ zone scheme, and is in a contract year. However, there’s nothing wrong with giving Thomas a look at left tackle in his rookie year. He’d at the very least be a quality reserve man.

To answer my previous question: which need would Ireland prioritize with this draft? All of them. He filled a ton of holes with a ton of quality players. The fact that he didn’t come away with a franchise left tackle is perfectly fine. Ireland needed to address the left tackle position simply because the Dolphins have absolutely zero depth there. In 2012, aside from the 49ers game, Jonathan Martin was actually a respectable starter at left tackle. However, in the event of a Martin injury, it would thrust Nate Garner, who’s better suited for the right side, into the starting lineup. The Dolphins can’t rule the jury out on Martin, and they have been in “steady dialogue” with Eric Winston, whose addition would solidify the right side. In fact, Ireland himself has admitted that he can’t rule out the acquisition of Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Branden Albert. Another realistic option could be signing 33-year old left tackle Bryant McKinnie, who played admirably during the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl run.

So to those of you that think Ireland messed up another draft because he didn’t get the player that was so heavily mocked to the Dolphins in the weeks coming up to the draft: fear not. The offseason is not over, they got a “special player” for pennies on the dollar, and if they don’t get a “new” left tackle, it’ll be okay. We promise. 

For everything Dolfans can expect Mike Wallace to be fast and elusive, most football fans never expected him to comment on matters which he has no political credibility whatsoever.  Just this afternoon while current NBA player Jason Collins has publicly come out as gay, Mike Wallace decided to comment further on the matter on Twitter.

Said Wallace: “All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys SMH (shakin' my head) …”

Moments later, twitter was a flurry and most fans of the NFL as well as Dolphins fans jumped all over the message and questioned the timing and the nature of the message.  Did Wallace tweet something he should have kept to himself and was the message one that is filled with hate?  With the NFL trying to brace itself for the inevitability of several players coming out in the coming years, such talk is mainly frowned upon. 

To his credit, Wallace quickly realized he made an error in judgment, deleted the tweet, and then re-issued this statement via Twitter:

Said Wallace: “Never said anything was right or wrong I just said I don't understand!! Deeply sorry for anyone that I offended."

First of all, Wallace, according to most fans and writers, was in the wrong and should have never made any kind of admission on twitter as a public figure.  It is possible that Wallace might feel this way toward people with an alternative lifestyle, but it is a bit unfair to paint Wallace with the brush of hate toward another human being without knowing all the facts.  Based on his image, he seems like a guy that cares about his family, takes the time to be a good  father, and cares about his career as an NFL player. 

We don’t know any more about Wallace other than he cares deeply for his own encarcerated brother and makes sure his prison account always has money in it. However, most people will not support exactly what Wallace said because it comes from a place of ignorance.  

While Wallace´s initial statement speaks volumes negatively to some football fans, there are in fact Dolphins fans who are season ticket holders, support gay rights, gay, might be the most offended. Even the smallest error in judgment can be detrimental to Wallace’s standing as a public and community representative of the Miami Dolphins franchise.  

As a franchise, this error in judgment could hurt the Dolphins in ticket sales if people feel that the team itself does not support who they are as human beings. This idea is not as far-fetched as it sounds considering this happened last year when then manager Ozzie Guillen pledged his admiration for much hated dictator Fidel Castro of Cuba and much of the Cuban community in Miami was up in arms and boycotted games.

Following the tweet of apology from Wallace, the Miami Dolphins had this to say:

“Mike Wallace has apologized for his comments, and we have addressed the matter with him. Mike’s comments do not reflect the views of the Miami Dolphins. We believe in a culture of inclusiveness and respect, and any statements to the contrary are in no way acceptable to our organization. We will address the entire team about our policy of inclusion and make sure they all understand the importance of respecting individual choices.”      

Based on the tone of the Dolphins statement, one can tell that this matter will be or has been dealt with.  Whether it means a trip to head coach Joe Philbin´s principal´s office, the matter will be dealt with professionally and should carry consequence for actions.  We will probably never know what will be said to Wallace because it will be done privately, but one can surmise that Wallace’s tweeting might come to a halt.  In addition, it's surprising that the statement is not only directed to Wallace alone, but all players on the team about this idea of "inclusion."  In addition,  community outreach might be mandatory for Wallace to learn more about LGBT youth and what they go through on a daily basis.  

 There is no winner here and no touchdowns can get scored when it comes to appreciation of all people and inclusion, but hopefully Mike Wallace learns that the microscope has a wider lens than ever before.