2012 if off to a solid start for the Miami Dolphins as this morning they won a coin toss for the 8^th overall pick of this year’s NFL draft. The Dolphins will now be selecting ahead of the Carolina Panthers which is significant because the buzz around the league has both teams having interest in DE Quinton Coples.

Our good buddy over at the Finsider’s tweeted,

Jesse Agler ‏ @finsjesse

Fins now 2-0 in 2012 haha. Beat the Jets on 1/1 and won the toss today.

Hopefully the winning streak in 2012 will continue for the Phins and we can all look forward to another exciting season of Dolphins football.

Now that the drama of the coin toss is over it is time to focus on which players which help and hurt their draft stock in the always entertaining NFL combine.

Another small note on the coin toss is that because the Dolphins win the flip  they will now keep the special edition coin.

Phins Up

Today at the NFL combine both Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland and head coach Joe Philbin got up to the podium to speak to the press.

In contrast to how the Dolphins usually operate, Ireland and Philbin were pretty open about what the Dolphins were looking for this off season.

Matt Miller @nfldraftscout

#Dolphins will look for pass rushers and a quarterback, per GM Ireland

Ireland also mentioned how he believes the difference between the 8^th and 9^th pick is a notable one. There are 2 names that have consistently been brought up as potential pass rushers that might land in the top 10.  UNC’s Quinton Coples and Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw. Both will be strongly considered for this year’s upcoming draft. Coples has already become a favorite to land in Miami on most experts’ mock drafts.

However the most interesting talk was regarding the QB position.

Here are a couple of the most interesting quotes from today’s presser.

RT @nfldraftscout Philbin on QB: We are looking for a leader. Age doesn't matter. #Dolphins

RT @JeffDarlington Ireland leaves open all possibilities at QB: "I don't think it has to be long-term solution,can be a short-term"

While these may be smoke screen attempts by the Dolphins brass, it certainly sounds a lot like the Dolphins will be making Peyton Manning priority number 1 this off season.

Stephen Ross: Big shot billion dollar business man and owner of the Miami Dolphins doesn’t know what it means to fail. Ross is willing to do whatever it takes and write a blank cheque to any player that can potentially help bring glory back to Miami. Ross also has a burning desire to make the Dolphins succeed as a business and that means filling the stands with fans.

Jeff Ireland: Is Ireland the man calling the shot or his he Ross’s puppet ? Ireland originally brought in by Bill Parcells has the very murky reputation, granted mostly connected to off the field incidents with Dez Bryant and the belief by some of the fan base that he is a jerk.

Joe Philbin: Recently hired head coach, who has full power to pick and chose his coaching staff but will he have the same power in choosing his QB. There is still a lot of debate how the player personnel decisions will go down.

Earlier this off season there were rumors of internal battles between Ireland and Ross in choosing the next coach and similar buzz is already starting to be created over player personnel decisions in Miami.

With that being said, the big question is who calls the shots for the Dolphins? The Dolphins apparently have a well thought out plan on how this off season will go but we aren’t exactly sure what that plan is and whose plan it is.

There is no question Stephen Ross’s guy should he hit the market will be Peyton Manning. Manning can bring national attention back to the Dolphins; fans back in the stands and is an overall good business move as well as a potentially good football if Peyton is able to get back to his old self.

However, we don’t know if Peyton would be Philbin’s first choice as Flynn played in his system and it might be that familiarity that would make Joe want Flynn to be his guy. The other alternative is Philbin might be pursued into drafting Ryan Tannehill by his OC Mike Sherman.

While it’s almost a guarantee whichever decision the Dolphins chose to make they will attempt to find a new franchise QB, the big question is will the decision making process cause some issues between Philbin and the front office.

We should get a better picture of who the Don in Miami is later when free agency begins. The Dolphins front office better make sure they are all on the same page because if its just a battle of different directions to pursue it wont work

Till then,

Fins Up

The Miami Heat are considered by most the best team in all of basketball and are built around 3 of the worlds best players. It’s always exciting down at American Airlines arena. The Marlins recently made their place known in the South Florida sports market making big free agent moves including bringing in all star Jose Reyes. Even the Florida Panthers are having their best season in a long time in the thick of the NHL playoff hunt.

So where does that leave the Dolphins in the place of Florida sports fans?

We all know the stadium isn’t exactly the wildest place to be on a Sunday, as the game down experience at Sun Life or Joe Robbie or Pro Player or whatever it is named doesn’t exactly have the same atmosphere of Lambeau field or Arrowhead.

The only way Stephen Ross and Jeff Ireland can gain the respect of the fan base back and create buzz down in Dolphins land again is simple #18. While Manning offers many solutions on the field, he also helps the Dolphins off the field as well.

Bringing Peyton to Miami would automatically put the Dolphins back on the map. Manning would give Miami immediate National attention and most likely some good publicity something this franchise has sorely lacked.

Manning is not only a good football move but also a good business move. The signing would bring fans back to the stadium and probably because a back log on order of #18 orders in Aqua and Orange.

All of you know I want Peyton; well hopefully this is another reason that you will understand how much Peyton can do for this franchise.

The Dolphins made a minor move signing running back Jerome Messam from the CFL. This past year, Messam ran for 1,057 yards in 18 games and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player.

Messam, 6-3 and 245 pounds and is a big tough, pyshical runner. Messam has had some character issues in the past which led to him being released by the BC Lions before joining the Eskimos last year.

My good friend who works for the CFL told me he was very impressed by Messam’s tough strong running and was respected around the league this year for his play. He also suggested he wouldn’t be surprised if Messam was able to crack the Dolphins roster.

With Lex Hillard and Steve Slaton, and even rookie Daniel Thomas failing to really impress last year there is certainly room for a prodctuve back on this team.

If Messam can make an impact on special teams it will go a long ways in improving his odds of making the team.

Here is a link of some video footage of Messam. http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/20637