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Dolphins News: More Free Agent Updates...
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*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Feb 22, 1997: -- More Free Agent Updates... --

Free Agents Visit Dolphins

The Dolphins received a visit from some free agents Thursday, talking to free agent safety George Teague, linebacker Ron George and wide receiver Brett Perriman. According to the Miami Herald, both Teague and George were excited about the possibility of signing with the Dolphins and Teague is reported to have said that it is "probable" he will be able to strike a deal with the Dolphins.

On the other hand, the Herald is reporting on Saturday that the Dolphins haven't even started talking about money with Teague or George's agents yet.

The other free agent to visit, wide receiver Brett Perriman, played for Jimmy Johnson at the University of Miami and has been a big play receiver for the Detroit Lions for several years. Last year, he caught 94 passes for 1021 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The biggest problem with the Dolphins trying to sign Perriman is that he's asking $2 million per year. The Dolphins are hoping that his age (he's 31) and salary cap pressures on other teams will force him to accept a lower salary later on in the free agency period.

Dolphins Talk to free agent kickers

The Dolphins have also interviewed two free agent kickers Joe Nedney a run for his money in training camp. The first is Olindo Mare, from Cooper City High. Mare is another Joe Nedney-type kicker, with a big leg and questionable accuracy. He spent last year on the Giants' practice squad. If the Dolphins did sign him, he would be on the team mainly to give Nedney some competition.

More interesting, however is free agent kicker Jeff Wilkins, who played for the 49ers last year. He was the NFC's second leading scorer with 130 points last year and was 4th in the league in kicking accuracy, making all 40 of his extra points and 30 of 34 field goals.

He is also known for his "big leg" and even though the 49ers only had 9 touchbacks on kickoffs last year, they were 5th in the league in pinning their opponents deep on kickoffs, with opposing teams starting at their own 25 yard line, on average. In contrast, Nedney kicked 20 touchbacks last year, but for all that, the Dolphins' opponents average starting position after kickoffs was the 24.4 yard line.

Other Free Agent Info

It looks like linebacker Mike Jones of the Oakland Raiders is no longer a possible signee for the Dolphins. With free agents like Michael Barrow and Chad Brown signing for big, big bucks, Jones' asking price has risen and he is not even going to come to Miami for a visit.

Wide receiver Kevin Williams has narrowed his decision to either signing with the Dolphins or returning to the Cowboys. Williams expects to make a choice early next week.

And the Dolphins had safety Don Robinson, formerly with Hamilton of the CFL, in for a workout on Friday.

Update On Gardener

There is very little new information on the shooting of Daryl Gardener last week. He is listed in satisfactory condition in a Dallas hospital and his condition is improving. The Dolphins expect that he'll be recovered in time to take part in training camp in July.

As for the shooting itself, the Dallas police say that this sort of thing happens occasionally and they don't hold out much hope of finding the shooters. They say that people who get shot like this on the highway often have no idea what they did to provoke the shooters and it's pretty clear in this case that Gardener did nothing to instigate the shooting.

My Comments:

Right now, it looks as if George Teague and Ron George are well on their way to becoming Dolphins. If that happens, the Dolphins will probably have a new starting free safety and linebacker next season. Teague would start at free safety opposite Shawn Wooden and Ron George would start at outside linebacker.

Don't get too excited about Brett Perriman. The odds are that the Dolphins won't be able to sign him, because someone else will probably pay his asking price.

As far as the kickers are concerned, Wilkins would be a surprising addition to the team. On the whole, I wasn't too disappointed with Nedney last year, but Wilkins would be a definite improvement - if they can get him for a decent price. JJ doesn't like to over spend for any players and Wilkins will command a high price for a kicker.

The situation with Daryl Gardener is disturbing in many ways, but I don't place any more importance on it than I would on a traffic accident. As long as Gardener will be alright and as long as it wasn't caused by anything he did, then we should count him and the team as lucky and move along with the season.

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Curt Fennell, curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New England
     
   

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Curt Fennell
curt@phins.com
DOLFAN in New England