Unser Chat » We can safely say that the Patriot Way is on full display

in the city by Biscayne Bay Chandler Cox Jersey nfl draft , and as far as I’m concerned, that’s quite okay. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Miami Dolphins’..."We can safely say that the Patriot Way is on full display in the city by Biscayne Bay, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s quite okay. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Miami Dolphins’ front office has set their sights on molding the organization into ‘Patriots South’, not just with their offensive and defensive philosophies, but in terms of how, and what kinds of players they acquire and what they’re willing to pay for those players, both in terms of salary and in draft pick compensation. So, you ask, what makes the Dolphins believe they’ll be successful at this endeavor when so many other teams have attempted to do the same thing and have failed miserably?Well, for starters, when you hire a guy who has the personality of a lamp post, like Romeo Crennel, or an egotistical control freak, like Josh McDaniels, your chances of success are already prohibitively small from the start. McDaniels, in particular, proceeded to gut the Denver Broncos roster almost as soon as he got off the plane upon his arrival in Denver ten years ago. He quickly alienated starting quarterback Jay Cutler, and the team’s 4-12 record in McDaniels’ second and final season as head coach paved the way for them to select Von Miller with the second overall pick in the 2011 draft.But Brian Flores is neither of those aforementioned guys; he appears to have considerably more personality than Crennel and, like probably ninety percent of the rest of the population Super Bowl Chandler Cox Jersey , has considerably less ego than McDaniels. Many have lambasted the retention and subsequent promotion to general manager of Chris Grier, arguing that keeping a guy who was here during a long stretch of mediocrity will only lead to more mediocrity, but thus far, it’s difficult to argue with the course Grier has the Dolphins on this offseason. From the draft, to acquiring quarterback Josh Rosen to the free agents they’ve brought in, the Dolphins look to have adopted New England’s time tested approach of ‘Buy Low, Sell High’ of how they run their football team.Although many have asserted that Rosen represents an all-or-nothing proposition, and that if Miami selects a quarterback high in the first round next year, the trade for him was a failure, the Dolphins could still keep Rosen for a year or two and then trade him for similar or even more compensation than they gave up to get him, if he shows improvement, as expected, in Miami. The recent contract extension the Dolphins gave cornerback Xavien Howard was something they simply had to do; you just don’t let a guy who might be the NFL’s top corner get away, but guess what? If the rebuild takes longer than expected, Miami could still trade Howard for some serious draft pick ransom at a later date, and the fact that he’s signed for the next six years makes it easier, not harder, to do that, if they so choose. Didn’t it make you at least a little envious when New England used to sign ‘problem’ type players like Randy Moss, Corey Dillon and Josh Gordon Football Chandler Cox Jersey , and then get good performances out of them that helped them win championships? Even with his indefinite suspension from the NFL, Gordon still helped the Patriots get to yet another Super Bowl before he was suspended, and accordingly, the team gave him a Super Bowl ring. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Dolphins became known as a team that could get similar results out of players that other teams couldn’t? That, I believe, was the thought process behind their recent signing of former UM and Cincinnati Bengals running back Mark Walton. Walton is young, talented and will, in all likelihood, be playing for the league minimum for the foreseeable future, so if he gets into any more trouble, he didn’t cost the team very much to begin with. If Flores is, as one reader suggested, a ‘scumbag’, well, let’s hope he’s a successful scumbag. Sometimes it’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion. So, in sum, the Dolphins appear, at least at this juncture, to be on the right track. And I don’t think we can trot out the old retort of, “Alright Jesse Davis Jersey , so they look like they’re doing well now, but let’s see what happens on the field”, because part of the plan is for them to lose a lot games this season, to help them get premium picks in every round of the draft next year, not just the first round. If we want to say that a year from now, fine, but for now, we just to let the process play out. That’s the wrap for today, have a great week, everybody. Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was out for the second straight game, due to an MCL sprain in his right knee.Austin Ekeler started in place of Gordon on Sunday against Cincinnati, with rookie Justin Jackson, who gained 62 yards during the second half of last week’s comeback win at Pittsburgh, slated for plenty of playing time.The Chargers were without nose tackle Brandon Mebane for a third straight game, as he cares for his newborn daughter. The visiting Bengals were missing two key starters on defense: cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (ankle) and linebacker Vontaze Burfict (concussion).In other Week 14 lineup news around the league:— With James Conner out for Pittsburgh because of an ankle injury, Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley were in line for the bulk of the work in the backfield for the Steelers against Oakland.— San Francisco is missing two key skill-position players, running back Matt Breida (ankle) and wide receiver Pierre Garcon (knee), against Denver. The Broncos lost cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (broken leg) and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (ruptured Achilles tendon) to major injuries last week.— The depleted Arizona wide receiver group got thinner with the loss of Chad Williams, who aggravated a hamstring injury late in the week and was inactive for the game against Detroit.— Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith was active for a key NFC East showdown against Philadelphia, after missing the previous two games with a neck issue. The first- Cowboys Kenny Stills Jersey , however, held linebacker Sean Lee out for a fifth straight week with a hamstring injury. Eagles defensive tackle Tim Jernigan was inactive again with a back issue after being listed as questionable on the injury report. Jernigan has played just one game this season, two weeks ago.From the earlier games:— Miami’s Danny Amendola played against New England, his former team, after sitting out the last game because of a knee injury.— Baltimore put quarterback Joe Flacco on the inactive list for the fourth straight game, despite his return to practice this week with the expectation he would serve as Lamar Jackson’s backup at Kansas City. Instead, Flacco rested his hip injury with Robert Griffin III as the second-stringer behind Jackson.— The New York Giants traveled to Washington without star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who stayed home with a quadriceps injury. The Redskins were in worse shape, with guard Tony Bergstrom (knee/ankle) the latest offensive lineman to be sidelined— Green Bay was down three starters on the offensive line against Atlanta: left guard Lane Taylor (foot), right guard Byron Bell (knee) and right tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee/illness).— Indianapolis had T.Y. Hilton suited up against Houston, despite a shoulder injury that kept him out of practices this week, but fellow wide receiver Dontrelle Inman was out with a shoulder injury.— Carolina played at Cleveland without kicker Graham Gano, whose knee injury forced the Panthers to sign replacement Chandler Catanzaro, kicked a 59-yard field goal to beat the Browns in overtime earlier this season for Tampa Bay. Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward remained in concussion protocol after getting hurt last week, with Terrance Mitchell activated to make his first start after missing eight games with a broken right wrist.— Sam Darnold returned for the New York Jets after a three-game absence because of a foot injury, setting up a matchup of first-round draft pick quarterbacks in Buffalo against Josh Allen. The Jets had running back Isaiah Crowell (toe) and wide receiver Robby Anderson (ankle) back. They were questionable on the injury report.