Campbell staying; Rizzi gets extension

Darren Rizzi

FootballScoop  is reporting that the Miami Dolphins have retained tight ends coach Dan Campbell as well as have given special teams coach Darren Rizzi a 2 year contract extension to remain with the franchise. Rizzi was rumored to be on the short list of candidates for the open Rutgers head coaching job.

My Take On Quarterback 2012

We all know the names being tossed around. Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn and Robert Griffin III. Those are the big three. And all three have questions surrounding them. First, there's Manning. One of the best of all time, Manning by all accounts is likely to be released soon by the Indianapolis Colts, who are going to draft Stanford's Andrew Luck. The divorce has already begun with Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay trading barbs this past week. The big question is his health. With three neck surgeries over the past year, it's possible he may never even play again. And even if he is declared healthy enough to play, he won't be the Manning of 5 years ago. There will be questions about his arm strength. And at 36, he would be very short term at best. My take on Manning? Pass. As I said, he is short term at best and damaged goods. The Dolphins need to start thinking long term at the QB position and stop with the quick fixes and band aids.

Matt Flynn. He had a GREAT game against Detroit. 480 yards and 6 touchdown passes. That one game will probably net him millions, but is it worth the risk? The Packers have a great offense. That game meant nothing for them. They had everything locked up. There was no pressure what so ever. They were out there having fun basically. If they won, big deal. If they lost, big deal. And a few of Flynn's TD were more on the player on the receiving end such as Ron Gant's score. Gant took a short pass and turned it into an 80 yard TD. My take on Flynn? Buyer beware. He hasn't proved anything yet. How would he perform in an average offense? If he could be had at a reasonable price, I would take a chance. But the big bucks? Just ask the Arizona Cardinals if they have buyers remorse when it come to Kevin Kolb.

Finally there's Robert Griffin III, or RGIII as he is starting to be referred to. I watch very little college football, but I do know the story of RGIII as most of us do by now. He took over the Baylor Bears and took the team to new heights. He's a leader and a guy teammates respect. I've seen a lot of highlights of this young man but one play impressed me more than anything an that was the final play of Baylor's game against Oklahoma. On that play, with 8 seconds left and the score tied 38-38, RGIII threw a perfect 34 yard strike into the endzone with a defender right in his face to give Baylor their first win ever over Oklahoma. He's not as physically talented as Cam Newton, but I do think in the long run he will end up being a better all around QB. My take on RGIII? This is the guy I want. I would be very disappointed if the Dolphins didn't at least attempt to trade up for him. He's young, talented and a proven leader. It's time the Dolphins take a chance on getting a real QB.

Brandon Marshall with a huge first half at the Pro Bowl

Brandon Marshall has a legit shot to win this years Pro Bowl MVP award if the AFC is to come out on top. In the first half Brandon has 2 receptions for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has a 74 yard touchdown reception from Big Ben and a 29 yard touchdown reception from Phillip Rivers. Ricky Williams was the last Miami Dolphin to win the Pro Bowl MVP Award which was back in 2003.

UPDATE:: Brandon Marshall has caught a 3rd touchdown. A 47 yard touchdown thrown to him by Andy Dalton. Giving Marshall 3 receptions for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns. Each touchdown thrown to him has been by a different quarterback and its only the 3rd quarter.

UPDATE #2: Marshall has gone "Al Bundy" on us and has his 4th touchdown in this game. A 3 yard pass from Andy Dalton. Marshall is a lock to win Pro Bowl MVP.

Brandon Marshall was named Pro Bowl MVP! Congratulations Brandon

Breaking down Peyton to Miami rumors

It's time to address the Peyton Manning to Miami talk. Yes, everyone has seen the reports of "unnamed sources" saying Manning is sitting on top of Miami's wish list for this offseason. Remember, these are the same "unnamed sources" who said Mike McCoy was a lock to get the Dolphins job and it was a "done deal." I mean you have to take this stuff with a grain of salt when you read it these days. But, here is what we know for sure as of today. Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network on Saturday reported that the Colts ownership and management decided a few weeks back to move on from Peyton Manning and they will, as LaCanfora said, "almost certainly" make it official before the NFL Combine that is coming up. Assuming that report is accurate, now the fun begins.

Let me first state I don't know the details of Peyton's health status, nobody does. I'm not a doctor  and I know little about the in's and outs of  the whole "nerves in his neck" and how the recovery process is going. I heard Armando Salguero the other morning on his 640 WFTL radio show state things are going slower than expected. Yet then you read quotes from Peyton and he is saying he will play another 6 years and it won't be an issue. So, for the sake of this article lets just assume Peyton Manning is "healthy enough" to play football in 2012 and beyond. Whether he is 100% or 80% lets assume for the sake of this article he is just "healthy enough" to play.

If/when Manning is on the open market Miami has been rumored to be one of the two heavy favorites to land him. Those unnamed sources in Washington are saying Daniel Snyder has made it clear he will not be out-bid for Peyton. And if Peyton signs anywhere else he will be taking less money to do so. The Skins are the other team in hot pursuit if you believe the reports.There have also been rumblings about the Jets. Then you have heard teams like Seattle and San Francisco mentioned as well but not a lot of chatter coming from those two camps on the issue.

But Miami will be in the mix and as Mike Francesa on WFAN in NYC said this week NFL insiders and people in NFL circles he has talked to are saying Miami is the favorite to land Peyton and that is were the smart money is. And if you break it down it does make sense. 1) Miami is a warm weather climate and for someone coming off a neck injury playing and just plain daily living in the cold isn't ideal. 2) Going to Washington or the Jets means Peyton is breathing down his brothers back. Either in the same division as Eli where he has to try and beat him twice a year and is in direct competition or if he is in New York he will share a city and a stadium with Eli where the Eli /Peyton questions and comparisons will be 24/7/365 with the New York media. Will Peyton want to do that? Plus, he goes from playing indoors to now being on a team in a cold weather climate in both Washington and New York. 3) The Dolphins are a ready made team for a franchise quarterback to step in and lead to the playoffs and possibly beyond. You have Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush coming off huge years. You have an offensive line anchored by two young top draft picks in Long and Pouncey. Plus, you have a defense that was ranked 6th this past year in scoring defense. On the flip side, the Jets are in turmoil right now with a lot of in-fighting and the Redskins are a little further away than Miami in the talent department. 4) The Manning Family is a very tight group and I am not sure any of them from Archie, to Eli, to Peyton, to Olivia will like or enjoy direct competition of Eli/Peyton if big brother goes to the Jets or Redskins.

Bottom line as a Dolphins fan, if Manning is anywhere near 100% or even 80% Miami must make a play to sign him. I know when you line things up side by side between Matt Flynn and Peyton Manning it probably makes more sense to roll the dice on Flynn. He knows the offense like the back of his hand, he has worked together with the head coach already, Flynn is younger and has a longer shelf life in this league at this point. All logical signs say make a move for Flynn. With that said, this Peyton Manning we are talking about. One of the top five quarterbacks to ever play the game. Someone who if near 100% gives Miami a 2 or 3 year window to win a Super Bowl. While both Flynn and Manning are a roll of the dice (Flynn a bit unproven and Peyton with age and injury), the jackpot with Manning is the Super Bowl within the next 2 or 3 years. That is tough to pass up, really tough. 

Would I be upset if Miami went with Flynn over Manning; not at all. Would I be upset if Miami went with Manning over Flynn; not at all. 

In closing let me just say if Miami does meet with Peyton Manning at some point and the Dolphins have their team doctor look Peyton over and give him a physical,  I just hope its not the same doctor who told Nick Saban to go with Culpepper over Brees!

Joe Philbin's coaching strategy for 2012

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald talks with Joe Philbin

Carl Peterson will not join the Miami Dolphins

Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post is reporting that Carl Peterson will not be joining the Miami Dolphins in an official capacity. He will continue to be in advisory role to Mr. Stephen Ross. Ireland is saying he likes having Peterson down the hall from Stephen Ross when Ross is in NYC.

"It's been good for me, when Steve is up in New York and Carl is right down the hall from him, to get a football perspective, rather than a non-football perspective," Ireland said. "You can imagine a lot of people are in Steve's ear who don't have a football background. So for Carl to be up there, really, he's on my side. He sees it the way I see it."