[06/24/08] -- This and That
Other than the highly improbable rumor that Jason Taylor might be traded to the Packers - which appears to have come from a single phone call made by Green Bay to Miami - very little has been going on in South Florida that is newsworthy. Which is not to say that nothing has been going on. The team has been having training sessions, Will Allen has been getting into trouble and Ricky Williams has been behaving himself. Phins.com columnist Chris Shashaty examines some of the events in this week's column Offseason Observations.

[06/04/08] -- And now - "TaylorGate"!
Perhaps the most enduring legacy of one of the most foolish and ignoble episodes in American political history is the media's penchant for tacking the "-gate" suffix on every little event with even the slightest bit of controversy associated with it. So far as we know, no one in the media has yet labeled the ongoing saga of Jason Taylor's dance with the Dolphins as "TaylorGate". However, we here at Phins.com pride ourselves in trying get ahead of the class, so let us be the first to label Jason Taylor's continuing "miscommunications" with the team as "TaylorGate". This week, Phins.com columnist Chris Shashaty tells us what it all means in his column Taylor Side-Step Going Nowhere.

[05/09/08] -- "Spygate" Continues...
This week, former Patriots' employee Matt Walsh turned over eight video tapes to the NFL which verified his story that the Patriots had been taping other team's signals in violation of league rules. Among those tapes were videos of the Miami Dolphins and offensive signals used in games with the Patriots. Following the disclosure of the tapes, Phins.com columnist Chris Shashaty contacted the team to ask for their reaction to the tapes. However, as he reports for us this week, the Dolphins have taken a passive approach to the latest spygate tapes.

[04/29/08] -- Draft Analysis
One of the major draft publications referred to the Dolphins' draft this year as a "Meat and Potatoes" draft, but I prefer the analogy drawn by Phins.com columnist Chris Shashaty, who says that this year's draft was about creating the foundation that will keep the Dolphins a quality team for many years to come. His analysis of the draft is that, instead of buying meat and potatoes, Bill Parcells has bought something a little more enduring - Bricks and Mortar.

[04/28/08] -- Draft Results
The Dolphins' 2008 draft (indeed, the entire NFL draft) concentrated heavily on the line this year. After a fair amount of wheeling and dealing, the Dolphins ended the day with 9 picks - 6 of which are linemen. The final tally was 3 offensive linemen, 3 defensive linemen, 2 running backs and QB Chad Henne. Apparent areas of need that were not addressed through the draft included wide receiver and defensive back. A quick look over the list of draftees shows only one likely day-one starter, but competition at guard and at quarterback could change those numbers.

[04/26/08] -- Draft Day One
On the first day of the 2008 NFL draft, the Dolphins took Michigan OT Jake Long, Clemson DE Philip Merling and Michigan QB Chad Henne. Perhaps more interesting were the rumors flying around that the Dolphins had reached an agreement to trade DE Jason Taylor to Tampa Bay for 3 draft picks, including the Bucs' 2nd round pick this year. However, after that trade failed to materialize, the rumors changed to say that the trade would actually be for the 2009 draft. Whether or not that trade actually comes to pass remains to be seen, but after the initial flurry of rumors, no further information was available.

And if that wasn't enough, the Dolphins traded their original 4th round draft pick to Dallas for LB Akin Ayodele and TE Anthony Fasano and then traded Lorenzo Booker to the Philadelphia Eagles for a replacement 4th round pick. Without Lorenzo Booker, the Dolphins have yet another hole to fill in their roster, but with six picks remaining, they will have plenty of opportunities tomorrow to fill them.

[04/22/08] -- Dolphins Take Jake Long - Really
Just a few days after General Manager Jeff Ireland supposedly slipped and let it be known that the Dolphins were going to take a player who would be the "pillar of the defense" with the first round pick, the team signed Michigan Offensive Tackle Jake Long to a 5 year deal as their first pick in the 2008 NFL draft. The deal is reported to be worth a total of about $58 million with around $30 million in guaranteed money. For more information, be sure to check out the latest news on the Phins.com News Wire.

[04/21/08] -- Less Than a Week Left
As the draft approaches, the identity of the Miami Dolphins' first pick remains a mystery. Despite the reports of contract negotiations beginning almost two weeks ago with Jake Long and Vernon Gholston, the first college player's name that will be called on Saturday morning in New York is hardly a certainty. This week, Phins.com's columnist Chris Shashaty profiles the most likely picks in his column "Closing Arguments".

[04/10/08] -- Dolphins Pick Jake Long - Or Not...
The biggest Dolphins' headline in weeks hit the wires yesterday, with the Miami Herald reporting that Tom Condon, the agent for Jake Long, had arrived in Davie to begin contract negotiations for his client as the possible number one pick in this year's draft. This morning, the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that the Dolphins have also begun negotiating with the agent for DE Vernon Gholston. However, this is hardly the end of Miami's search for the number one draft choice. In fact, it is just the beginning. Phins.com's columnist Chris Shashaty gets to the core of the issues in his latest column, "Let the Mind Games Begin".

[04/03/08] -- Sparano on Beck
Miami's new head coach Tony Sparano made himself available to the press this week at the NFL Owner's meeting in Palm Beach and had things to say on a number of topics, including the future of John Beck and Jason Taylor, the state of the team and the draft. This week, Phins.com's columnist Chris Shashaty takes a look at what Sparano had to say and what it might mean in his column "Sparano Not Yet Sold on Beck, Tough Choices Await".

[03/20/08] -- Will it be Ryan?
The Miami Dolphins are doing their homework for the coming draft, thoroughly investigating all the top college players who will be available this April. Assuming for the moment that Miami either can't or won't trade out of the top spot, the popular favorite for Miami's number one draft choice is Virginia Defensive End Chris Long , a defensive end who could fit very well into the projected 3-4 defense that Miami will most likely play this coming year. But Phins.com's columnist Chris Shashaty suggests that Boston College Quarterback Matt Ryan might actually be a better choice in this week's column "Silence Keeps Ryan in Play".

[03/06/08] -- Jason Taylor Rumors Persist
In case you haven't heard, former Miami Herald writer Jason Cole , who now writes for Yahoo! Sports, broke a story last Friday that Jason Taylor will be leaving the Dolphins before the draft. In response, new Dolphins' potentate Bill Parcells responded that Jason Taylor will either play for Miami in 2008 or retire . So, which is it? Well, only Jason Taylor really knows at this point, but Phins.com's columnist Chris Shashaty offers his opinion this week in his column "The Taylor Side-Step".