After three games the Miami Dolphins have been scrutinized for their lack of production on the defensive side of the ball. Considering the massive amount of capital spent on this unit, the scrutiny is warranted. Whether the blame falls on the coaches, the players, or (most likely) both, is yet to be determined, but for the time being, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is blaming himself.
 
“I take responsibility for that.” Said Coyle. “It’s on my shoulders. It’s my job to make sure we are playing winning defense and I’ve got to get that done. I’m disappointed, but I’m mostly disappointed in myself.”
 
The fact that Coyle blames himself doesn't really help his situation. The former Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach has seen declining success since being named the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2012. Last season the Dolphins finished the year ranked sixth in the NFL in passing yards allowed at a stingy 222 yards per game. In the first three games of this season the Dolphins have allowed 246 passing yards and two passing touchdowns per game.

A defense with this price tag should not have shown regression, but Coyle is not concerned with last year's numbers. “I don’t think it has anything to do with last season. " Said Coyle. "I think we’ve got a different team. We’re playing new opponents. I’m worried about how we’re going to perform here come Sunday in London. I know we’ve got to get better and it’s my job to ensure that we will.” 
 
There is only so much patience left, and if things do not improve on defense Kevin Coyle could be in danger of losing his job. He needs to make the correct moves to improve this defense in time to get the team back on track. “We’ve got to try to make sure that everyone is on the same page.” Said Coyle when asked about how to fix the defense. “That’s something that we’ve been emphasizing since the end of last season. We’ve got to simplify some things, we’ll do that. It’s been real frustrating up to this point.”
 
It has been frustrating. For the fans, the players, the coaches, and all of the people that saw the potential this team had heading into the regular season. It’s time for this defense to go out there and play the brand of football they were assembled to play.

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter: @EfrainRamos

The drama is continuing for the Grimes family. Before the home opener against the Buffalo Bills, Miko Grimes, the 40-year old wife of Brent Grimes, was arrested after ignoring police orders to stop and then assaulting an officer. She was soon released but she now faces serious charges.

On top of all that, CBS Radio (WQAM) has decided to fire the outspoken player's wife from her job as a radio host following the arrest, as first reported by Will Manso of WPLG Local 10 News. Her partner Omar Kelly will be staying on per the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson.

Miko also recently deleted her Twitter account, so it appears that she's laying low until some of the drama has a chance to settle down.

Despite all of this however, the Dolphins top cornerback says he's not letting the situation with his wife get to him, and he's looking ahead to flying to London to face off against the New York Jets and hopefully get back on track.

“Miko’s fine but we really want to talk about football,” Brent Grimes said. “We’ve got a big division game coming up. We’ve got the Jets, we’re going to London. We just lost pretty bad and want to rebound from that. I really don’t want to talk about what happened to Miko. That’ll handle itself.”

Head coach Joe Philbin stated on Monday that the incident with Miko would not affect Brent's standing with the team.

Brent Grimes is team's top cornerback and is one of the best zone corners in the NFL, his value to the team as a player is high, and luckily, the 32-year old veteran is making it a point to say he's not letting the situation with his wife affect his play on the field.

“I’m good,” he said. “I’m a football player. Playing football is my job and that’s what I’m coming in here to do.”

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

The Miami Dolphins hosted more than 70 kids Tuesday at the Doctors Hospital Training Facility, with K Andrew Franks, P Matt Darr, QB Logan Thomas, LS John Denney and T Jason Fox teaching South Florida kids the three different skills to punt, pass and kick.

Miami Dolphins Youth & Community Affairs Manager Troy Drayton, a Dolphins alumnus who also participated in Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) in his youth, said, “Rarely do you get a chance to meet guys that are on the field. Here you get a chance to learn from them. It’s making a great impact on the kids. We’re here to make Miami Dolphins fans. But we’re also here to teach them the fundamentals of football and make this game the great game that it is.”   

The current players were joined by alumni Chris Conlin, Ray Crittenden, Deon Dyer, Lorenzo Hampton, Ed Perry and Lousaka Polite to teach the children ages 6-15 from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach the skills for punting, passing and kicking.

Darr, who also was a participant of PPK in his youth, enjoyed being on the other end of the clinic. “As a little guy, just like these kids out here, in my hometown we had a Punt, Pass and Kick. I wasn’t good at it back then. It was just fun for me to come out and learn. Fortunately for me, I’m doing it for a living now,” he said. “I think it’s awesome for me to be able to come out and show these kids how to punt and they’re getting that from an NFL player. The Miami Dolphins are a great organization for letting us use this indoor bubble and really get connected to these kids in the community.”

Photo Credit: Miami Dolphins

On this episode of the PhinManiacs Podcast, the gang gets together and discusses what went wrong against the Buffalo Bills, and they get some much needed venting in as the frustration from the team's failures begins to build.

All this and more on this week's edition of the PhinManiacs Podcast. Listen to the YouTube video below or you can click here to download the audio of the show and listen on the go!

Analysts for this show:

Luis D. Sung - @FLSportDebater
Matthew Cannata - @FinsInsider
Chad Ronnebaum - @Gofins4SB

In conjunction with the Dolphins 50th season celebration presented by Pepsi, voting took place to select the top 50 players in team history. Four different groups voted on the composition of the team, including fans, Dolphins alumni, South Florida media and a select blue ribbon panel. 

Each group’s selections counted for 25 percent of the overall vote. Five players on the team will be announced each week leading up to home game vs. the New York Giants on Dec. 14th when the entire 50th team will be honored as part of a tribute to the 50 seasons of Dolphins football. The next five members of the team were recently introduced, in no particular order.
​

​Nick Buoniconti played eight seasons (1969-76) with the Dolphins at linebacker and was a driving force on the “No-Name Defense.” He was a captain of the undefeated 1972 team. Buoniconti led the Dolphins in tackles every season from 1969 through 1973 and remains the only Dolphins defensive player to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He made one AFL All-Star team and two Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1991.
 
“When you are selected as one of the 50 greatest players ever in Dolphin history, it’s so meaningful. But the meaningful part of it is not individually. It’s the team. Football has always been about the team. And Don Shula, with his great coaching experience, was a guy who preached that continuously. I have to tell you if it wasn’t for Coach Shula I would not be one of the 50. I really appreciate what he did, along with Bill Arnsparger and the rest of the coaches that worked with him,” Buoniconti said.

Larry Csonka played eight seasons (1968-74, 1979) with the Dolphins at fullback, and is one of only three Dolphins to have his number retired. He is the team’s all-time leading rusher with 6,737 yards, having three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons from 1971-73 at Miami, where the team advanced to the Super Bowl each year.


Csonka was the MVP of Super Bowl VIII with 145 yards rushing. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and enshrined in the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1990.

“I’m happy to be a part of Miami Dolphins tradition and am always glad for any excuse to come back and celebrate with my teammates, other great players from the franchise and all the Dolphins fans! I’m humbled and honored to have been selected as one of the 50 greatest Miami Dolphins,” Csonka said. “The Dolphins were an expansion franchise I’d never heard of when I was drafted. … Now we all share an impressive 50 year legacy!”

​Bob Griese played 14 seasons (1967-80) at quarterback with the Dolphins, and is one of only three Dolphins to have his jersey retired. He was a key component of the great Dolphins teams in the 1970s as the starting quarterback on the Dolphins’ two Super Bowl wins (1972, 1973). Griese threw for more than 25,000 yards and 192 touchdowns in his Dolphins career. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1990.
 
“When I went to college, all I wanted to do was to get an education. I never even gave playing in the NFL a thought. To think about going to the Dolphins, winning two Super Bowls, having your number retired, making the Hall of Fame and now being named to the all-time 50th anniversary team, is amazing. I never even thought about things like that. But I never could have done it without the help of my teammates and coaches. I was blessed to play with so many great players and the best coach in the history of the game, Don Shula. I owe them so much credit for anything I was able to accomplish on the football field and all the honors that followed after that,” Griese said.

​Jim Mandich played eight seasons (1970-77) with the Dolphins at tight end and was a valuable contributor to Dolphins’ three Super Bowl teams in the 1970s. His best season was in 1974 when he finished second on the Dolphins with 33 receptions and led the team with six touchdown catches.


​After retirement, Mandich became a popular member of Miami’s radio broadcast team. He was selected to the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2011. Mandich passed away in April 2011.
 
“It’s a remarkable honor for the Mandich family to hear about the recognition my father received based on his playing and his contributions to this great franchise. I know how much my dad cared about the Dolphins, and as a family we all are so proud that the team recognized him like this – it’s truly an awesome honor,” Jim Mandich’s son Michael Mandich said.

​Dan Marino played 17 seasons (1983-99) at quarterback with the Dolphins and is one of only three Dolphins to have his jersey retired. Marino threw for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns. When he retired, Marino held the NFL’s all-time records for most passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.


He rewrote the NFL passing records during the 1984 season when he threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns (the first over 40 TDs and 5,000 yards passing). Marino was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2000.
 
“It’s an honor to be picked as one of the top 50 players in Dolphins history. There have been so many great players in the organization for so many years, with all the Super Bowls, I’m just glad to be a part of it,” Marino said.

So to recap, here is the announced team so far.

• Dick Anderson
• Nick Buoniconti
• Mark Clayton
• Larry Csonka
• Mark Duper
• Bob Griese
• Jim Mandich
• Dan Marino
• O.J. McDuffie
• Jake Scott

Stay tuned to find out who makes the team next.

​Header Image Credit: Miami Dolphins

With Hispanic Heritage Month in full swing around South Florida, the Miami Dolphins organization headed to Dolphin Mall west of Doral to do their part by putting together their annual Football Fiesta.

​"The Football Fiesta is a partnership with South Florida Ford Dealers, we've been doing it for a number of years." said Marcus Bach-Armas. who is the Director of Legal and Government Affairs for the Miami Dolphins. "The goal is to educate some of our Hispanic fans on the game of football in general."

It's no secret to anyone that South Florida is a very colorful part of the United States, and many fans in the area are of Hispanic descent. Among those people, the biggest and most popular sport is also called football, but it isn't the same one that Americans make such a big deal out of, it's the sport we know as soccer.

"Soccer's a big sport in Latin America, football is just starting to really take root down there, so a lot of fans come here to the United States and may not have the familiarity with American football that they have with soccer." said Bach-Armas. "So we're here trying to educate the fans, expose them to the wonderful game of football so that they have a better understanding of the game when they watch on Sundays."

Once the event got started and the music began playing, fans quickly began to crowd the stage to see what was going on, and the emcee got the crowd pumped up with chants of "Let's go Dolphins" as TD stood next to him and did his thing. Also present were Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, who were signing autographs and taking pictures with fans who wanted them.

As the night went on, fans were given the chance to win some great prizes like a Dolphins tent and a specialized 50th Anniversary football, as well as two tickets to a Dolphins game. But the giveaways were only part of the fun, as there were a few contests held meant to get fans acclimated to what they should expect from American football - particularly the Dolphins.

Kids were chosen from the audience to see who could draw the best Dolphins logo, and then a race was put together between three teams of two to see who could put on a full set of pads the fastest and who could come up with the best touchdown dance.

The fans seemed to enjoy what they were seeing, and with the event as successful as it was, it will hopefully bring in more Hispanic Dolphins fans during the regular season.

"I think the organization realized that the Hispanic demographic was a critical demographic - especially here in Miami-Dade County." said Bach-Armas. "I think we're a little bit ahead of the curve in terms of league Hispanic marketing initiatives, and we realize you have to do some direct outreach, you have to do educational outreach, and you have to go proactively engage the fans, not just let them come to you."

When people think of South Florida, they either think of parties or the ever popular South Beach, but if they're not thinking about that, then they're thinking about how a large portion of people in South Florida are of Hispanic descent, and as such it can sometimes seem that soccer and baseball are the favorite sports. But one must never forget that Miami is and always will be a football town first, and now the Hispanic demographic is getting a chance to learn just that.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

If there is one constant in this so-far unimpressive season for the Miami Dolphins, it’s the fact that in each game, the team has started slowly. The last game was no exception as, in spite of taking the ball first to open the game, the Dolphins went three-and-out on their first series. Then to make matters worse, the defense allowed the Buffalo Bills to stride right into the endzone in five quick plays, including three catches and the touchdown by former Dolphins tight end Charles Clay.

Another common theme? Well, listen to the players and see if you notice a pattern. 
"I'm not sure what it is, man,” said running back Lamar Miller. “We've got to find a way, someway, somehow. We just have to go out there and play good football."

"I don't know what is right now,” added safety Reshad Jones. “We've got to watch the film to see what we didn't do well and bounce back from it."

"I don't know what it is,” repeated tight end Jordan Cameron. “We started the second half pretty good. We have to find that energy in the first half. I think it's a mindset - I think during the week we have to be (conscientious) of it.”

As frustrated as the fans have been the past three games, the Dolphins players are equally baffled as to why the slow starts keep happening. Especially alarming is the disturbing trend of falling behind by double-digit deficits in each game, then spending the rest of the game battling back.

The Bills came into the game determined to avenge a disappointing loss to the New England Patriots the week before, and played hard from start to finish. The Dolphins, coming off their own disheartening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, seemed to flounder from beginning to end, looked disinterested, and by the time they found any semblance of rhythm, it was too little, too late.

“I don’t think any of us feel good about what happened,” said coach Joe Philbin, refusing to lay the blame on any one person. “A lot of people make sacrifices, they work extremely hard. We’ve got great, loyal fans. We got a tremendous venue to play in. And we didn’t play well. There (are) no excuses, and we’ve got to get this thing fixed.”

The loss left fans and players in a state of shock. "Most definitely,” said Jones. “You lose at home in front of your home crowd, a loss like that. But now it's over with and we've got to focus on the Jets. We have another tough opponent coming, a tough division game … we need to be ready for that one."

Michael Thomas said that the players are definitely upset “Just because we know what we are capable of. We've got a lot of playmakers. We know we can play better than this. So, we just have to get back to work. That's it."

Added wide receiver Jarvis Landry, “We've just got to find a way … find a way to get in a rhythm, find a way to play with a little bit more of a flow. And I think that this coaching staff can do that. Hopefully we'll see.”

As for Philbin, “It’s real simple, we’re either going to stick together or not. We’ll see what kind of a team we have … We’ve got good players, we’ve got a good staff, but we haven’t demonstrated that, certainly (not) well enough in these first three football games for anyone’s satisfaction.”

Will the team rebound this week in London against the Jets? Philbin left that one alone.

"We’re going to find out.”

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

​The Miami Dolphins are looking for some sort of continuity on offense and new players like Jordan Cameron were supposed to fill in the gaps to make this offense complete. On Sunday that was not the case. This offseason the Dolphins had the decision of whether or not to retain incumbent tight end Charles Clay and decided to let him walk and make Jordan Cameron the new starter. Whether this was the right choice or not has yet to be seen, but in the first three weeks of the season the Dolphins have been the losers in that transaction.

Although the numbers are very similar, Charles Clay has two touchdowns and Cameron has none. Cameron’s scoring potential was an alluring aspect to his game, especially considering the Dolphins’ redzone issues, but it has not paid off. Whether you view Miami’s deficiencies as a product of poor coaching or poor performance, one thing is certain, the team needs to gain confidence in order to right the ship. “I think we believe in this program and believe in the direction they want us to go.” Said Cameron when asked about the team’s confidence. “I think people have bought in and I’m not concerned about that.”

A majority of fans are beginning to lose hope, but there are still players in the locker room who believe this team still has a chance. “I mean, Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Said Cameron. “It’s hard, it’s hard to get things going sometimes. It takes time, it’s a really long season, it’s week three so I think guys need to realize that and know it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

The Dolphins have not yet reached rock bottom, as the team can get back to .500 next week against the New York Jets, but improvement is imperative at this point, and the situation can become toxic with another loss. “There’s only one way to go, is up. You can’t go lower than this.” Said Cameron when asked about bouncing back from a 41-14 defeat. “You gotta be critical tonight and tomorrow when you watch the film and then you move on. You know it’s the NFL, it’s the nature of the beast. And it’s just disappointing right now.”

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter: @EfrainRamos

After the game against the Buffalo Bills, there were various complaints from fans and the media in regards to the playcalling on offense, with many saying that it is not balanced and the Miami Dolphins should be doing more to establish the run game. However, with the Dolphins trailing every game thus far, quarterback Ryan Tannehill said that various things change based on what is happening in the game. 

“It definitely puts you in a tough position, you know. We hadn’t started the game well and obviously that needs to be fixed and it needs to be fixed tomorrow. You can’t get down early in games and be fighting from behind the whole time. It makes it tough. You play too many good teams to be down 14 points to start the game. We have to come out better and play better on offense … make the plays and move the chains early.”

When Tannehill was asked if it was on the players or coaches, he took blame for it along with the rest of the teammates.

“I mean, it’s gotta be on the players. We have good energy. We go out there and we’re confident in what we’re doing. We’re not making enough plays early. I’ll have to take a look at the tape to see exactly what happened but … we didn’t make enough plays.” 

The Dolphins were favored by some to make a deep run into the playoffs and some media members even picked them to be in the Super Bowl. Now, staring at 1-2 after an embarrassing loss to the Bills, Miami needs answers quick but Tannehill said they are not panicking yet. 

“No, no panic. You know, I think there’s confidence in what we’re doing. Obviously we got some things that need to be corrected and be corrected fast. We’ve got 13 regular-season games left. There’s no panic. There’s a lot of football out in front of us and it’s just a matter of it getting turned around. This next week we’ll be flying overseas for that trip against a division opponent. So, you know, it’s gonna be a big week for us.”

There have been whispers from the locker room on the defensive side of the ball about the lack of faith in defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. Tannehill said that many guys are frustrated in the locker room,  especially because they know they can play better.

“Guys are frustrated obviously. We know we’re a better team than we’ve shown the past two weeks, especially today. Frustration. Guys want to get it fixed. We still believe in ourselves but we understand that we’re kind of at a crossroads and we need to get some things fixed. No panic, but definitely urgency to get this thing turned around.” 

Tannehill has made his fair share of mistakes thus far but has also played well considering the circumstances with the offensive line and non-existent run game. It will be up to him to continue to shoulder the load until the rest of the team can figure out how to play football the right way.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @FinsInsider

The Miami Dolphins have started the season with a 1-2 record and while that usually causes some alarm in the vast majority of teams, it has been taken to a whole new level with this team. That’s because of the way that Miami has been defeated – losing to a lowly Jacksonville Jaguars team and then getting crushed at home against the Buffalo Bills.

Many critics have pointed to Ndamukong Suh and the lack of impact he has had on the defense. Some have even said that the defense is no better, maybe even worse, with Suh clogging up the middle of the defense. When head coach Joe Philbin was asked about this very matter, he was blunt and honest, saying that the team is what they are.

“It’s the third game of the season. I wish we were playing better, but we are what we are right now. I’m going to take a look at the tape and look at everything we’re doing and make decisions that can help us become better quicker. There’s no magic potion. If there was a magic potion I would have brought it out earlier. Going into the game, we were fifth in the NFL in scoring defense. Obviously we’re not going to be that coming out of the game. We didn’t play very well on defense today whatsoever and we’re have to do better.” 

The Dolphins have been trailing from behind in each of their three games this season, thus causing them to react instead of being the one who forces the other team’s hand. Philbin said that it begins with him and he needs to do a better job of getting the players ready to play.

“Well, you know … It’s not easy, but as I said at halftime, this is the hole that we’re in. We don’t really have anyone to blame. We can’t put blame on other people. I’m the head coach. We have a coaching staff. We have players. We go out there. We put a plan together, in place, that we think has a chance to be successful. We’ve got to go execute it. Obviously that didn’t happen. You come in 27-0 at half … but there’s nobody to blame. Again, I don’t believe in the finger pointing aspects.”

Despite everything and the perceived lack of effort by the players on the field, Philbin says he has been pleased with the effort level that his players have shown throughout the first three weeks of the season.

“I thought the effort levels been very good. Until this game, obviously. It didn’t match the first two games, but there’s no dogging it on the film. There’s none of that. We’ll see. We’ll take a look at the tape and see what happened today. From that aspect I have no complaints. Obviously we have to be more productive, that’s clear.”

Many will read this and think that Philbin has lost his mind as the coach speak is wearing thin on the vast majority of fans and even members of the media. If the team doesn’t start turning it around beginning with a win against the New York Jets in London, Philbin may not be speaking as the head coach of the Dolphins much longer.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @FinsInsider

Another week has come and gone, and once again the Miami Dolphins have come out and shown that the hype that was made about them was merely an illusion brought on by big free agent signings and false promises. In the home opener against their division rivals the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins put together a positively miserable performance and lost to a score of 41-14.

It would be so easy to just point at quarterback Ryan Tannehill and say that he's the issue, and I have no doubt that the national media will be going out of their way to say just that since the quarterback position is the one that is technically the most important. It's often overlooked that other positions directly factor into how well the QB does in a game.

And while I will freely admit that Ryan Tannehill had a bad game, I cannot point the finger at him and say he's the reason the Dolphins lost. The entire team came together as one and apparently decided that they weren't going to show up, and a lot of it has to do with the three things I took away from this game.
​

1. Kevin Coyle has got to go: The Dolphins defense has looked absolutely miserable for the past three games, but it also harks back to the tail end of the 2014 season when the defense completely fell off into mediocrity. It seems that the addition of Ndamukong Suh hasn't helped things since then. The issue has remained for the past few seasons and it doesn't appear that it'll be going away anytime soon.

Now we could point the finger at the players, saying they need to execute and do a better job, and that would be perfectly valid. It's not like they've been playing their best football ever. However, the common denominator for these defenses has been Kevin Coyle, and a word consistently used to describe his defenses has been "soft".

​Whether it's the zone coverage with the corners getting to decide they want to play ten yards off the ball or the lack of physicality as a whole, Coyle's defenses have shown that they leave a lot of talent untapped. His other issue is his apparent hesitance to play young players. Jordan Phillips, the Dolphins extremely talented second-round draft pick - who happens to have the team's only sack of the year - was inactive against the Bills. Why is that? No one knows but the Dolphins.

Coyle has made excuses for his defenses, failed to make proper adjustments, and has bypassed playing talented young players in favor of putting average veterans on the field instead. Fans have been calling for Coyle to be fired since 2013, and by the end of 2015 at the latest, it needs to happen.

2. Bill Lazor has got to go: The Dolphins offense has looked absolutely miserable for the past three games, but it also harks back to the tail end of the 2014 season when the offense completely fell off into mediocrity...wait, this seems oddly familiar...didn't I write this exact same thing in the previous segment?


Well it's no less relevant, which is a shame because if Lazor wasn't so stubborn, this offense could be one of the best in the NFL. Ryan Tannehill would thrive in this type of short to intermediate passing game and it leaves room for him to choose what he wants to do with the ball via the read option. But the weakness of the offense is Lazor himself.

We can certainly blame the offensive line as well, there's no denying that. I believed that Dallas Thomas had improved and and with Branden Albert's help, he'd be able to hold down the fort. But Thomas has once again shown his true colors, and Albert is not healthy due to a lack of strength and conditioning. So instead of making the necessary adjustments, Lazor has done nothing.

Bad playcalling was the biggest reason fans wanted Mike Sherman to leave back in 2013, and now fans are once again calling for the head of their offensive coordinator for the same reason. Lazor has shown an extreme lack of faith in the running game, and seems more than willing to abandon it altogether at the first possible chance. That leads to a one-dimensional offense, and it makes things twice as difficult for an already struggling O-line.

In the Bills game, the Dolphins had first and goal at the two-yard line, all they had to do was push ahead for two yards and they would've been in.

They passed it four straight times.

And this type of playcalling has been a recurring theme since last year, and it's more proof that you need more than finesse to win a football game. Lazor wants to throw the ball like he has Aaron Rodgers on the roster, and as much as I love me some Ryan Tannehill, he is not - nor will he ever be - Aaron Rodgers.

3. Joe Philbin has got to go: This really should've been easy to predict seeing as the theme of the article has been how the coaching staff needs to be shipped out, but I feel it needs to be said officially for the record. Head coach Joe Philbin needs to be fired, the only real question is when that should happen.


There's an old saying that teams take on the personalities of their head coaches, and while Joe Philbin is a very nice guy, he does not have what it takes to be an NFL head coach. He has no fire, no intensity, and as a result the players don't either. People will argue that players shouldn't need their head coaches to fire them up, they should be able to do that themselves, especially for how much money they're making.

But it was the great Vince Lombardi - whose name was used to moniker the coveted Super Bowl trophy - who said this: "Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate."

Philbin has not once shown that he has the ability to do that. He's made attempts to be stoic in his first few years and that didn't work, and now he's tried to get closer to his players and be more relatable to them, and that hasn't worked either, in fact it's arguably worse. Philbin has either been too uptight or too loose, but he's never shown that he has the ability to command the one thing that's imperative for any head coach to have:

Respect.

I was killed last year for suggesting that the problem was Joe Philbin, and I held off this season because I believed that there was now a plan in place that was actually tangible and could be seen by all. But the plan the fans thought the Dolphins were putting together was clearly not the plan that did come together. It's appears to be more of the same old Dolphins.

A person whom I hold in very high regard once told me that it all starts at the top, with the leader. You can say Stephen Ross picks the wrong people, you might be right. You can say Mike Tannenbaum and Dennis Hickey are bad talent evaluators and brought in the wrong players. I would contest you on certain aspects of that. But when it comes to making a football team tick, especially one as talented as this one, it all starts with the head coach, and Joe Philbin just can't seem to get it done. The only question is: Will he be fired before or after the season is over?

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

We're all aware of how outspoken Miko Grimes can be, she consistently has very spirited debates with her over 11,000 Twitter followers and she has no problem speaking her mind no matter what the subject. But it appears that for once, her abrasive personality has led to a severe problem, as the wife of Dolphins Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes was arrested before Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

According to the Miami-Dade police report, Miko was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and disorderly conduct.

Per the police, she ignored orders not to walk into a restricted area outside the stadium, and the situation eventually escalated to the point that she head-butted an officer after being handcuffed and put back on her feet. It was then that another officer activated his taser and informed Miko that he would use it on her unless she calmed down.

She complied initially, but it didn't take long before Miko began kicking another officer, and she was once again restrained. She evidently spent the night in jail and was then later released early Monday morning.

The video below is of the arrest.

WARNING: Graphic Language

Miko has a reputation for being fired up, and it isn't the first time where being who she is has attracted attention. She has frequently gotten attention from Dolphins fans for her very vocal lack of faith in quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and she has fought tooth and nail with other media members (and anyone else for that matter) who feel that her husband Brent isn't a superstar player.

In a 2014 interview with the Palm Beach Post, Miko said this:  “I would describe myself as a realist, a brutally honest person that sometimes gets misunderstood. But I always come from a good place, for the most part. … I try to explain to people, just because I come off as a little abrasive doesn’t mean I’m trying to offend you. It’s just the way I communicate. Those are the things I’m trying my best to change.”

If she's trying to change, it doesn't appear she's doing a very good job, at least on the surface. This isn't the first time Miko's temper has gotten her into trouble, but for the sake of the Dolphins organization (who referred all questions regarding the arrest to the Miami-Dade police) and - more importantly - her family, let's hope this is the last time.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

The Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills are getting ready to face off for the first time this season, and it appears that one team is much healthier than the other.

For the Dolphins, left tackle Branden Albert is doubtful to play after suffering a hamstring injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His being out of shape has caused the Pro Bowl offensive lineman to be a fragile individual, and as a result, Albert won't be active against the team where he would've been needed most. Jason Fox will take his place.

Dion Sims is also doubtful to play despite getting in some practice time this week after getting a concussion from diving for a pass in the endzone against the Redskins. Sims has the potential to be a starting caliber tight end, and with Jordan Cameron questionable with a groin injury, he would've been useful. Now, it's just a gimpy Cameron and Jake Stoneburner on the active roster.

Luckily, Cameron Wake is probable to play and he'll hopefully be able to get to Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor and make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket. That's when the linebackers will have to be extremely vigilant, as Taylor can run if he feels threatened. Reshad Jones being probable will also help.

The team is banged up, there's no doubt about that, but if the Dolphins can get some help from their running game, the team should be able to make something happen. They're at home for the first time this season, their new stadium is ready to be debuted, the atmosphere should be electric. Time for the Dolphins to step up.

Full injury report can be seen below.

The Miami Dolphins are finally coming home for the first time this season, and for better or worse, they'll be facing their greatest challenge yet as the visiting Buffalo Bills will be coming with chips on their shoulders after the embarrassing beatdown they were given by the New England Patriots the week before.

Miami should also have chips on their shoulder after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the most embarrassing ways possible. By a score of 23-20, the Dolphins got beat deep three times by Blake Bortles and his WR Allen Robinson, failed to get any sort of pass-rush, could not generate any kind of run game on offense, and overall looked like a team aiming to earn the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

But there's still a chance that the Dolphins could take steps towards fixing their problems, and it all starts on Sunday. The team is notorious for playing down to the level of their opponents, but the games with Denver and Green Bay last year - while painful - show that they also have the potential to play up to the level of their opponents. Here's three things we need to keep an eye on in the game against the Bills.
​

The Defensive Line: Ndamukong Suh was expected to come into Miami and change the face of the defense overnight, but that hasn't happened this season. The pass-rush has been almost impossible to find and the defensive line as a whole has been unable to stop the run. The line needs to get better and it needs to do so in a hurry.

​Against the Buffalo Bills, they'll be dealing with the likes of LeSean McCoy, whose value in an offense is unlike any they've faced so far. The Redskins' Alfred Morris and Matt Jones are bruiser backs, and the Jaguars' T.J. Yeldon is a more balanced type. McCoy, however, is a dangerous weapon because of his speed and ability to make catches out of the backfield.

Balancing that out is Karlos Williams, who is a more powerful back and that's the kind of back the Dolphins have been struggling to stop this season. If Miami is going to have any chance, the line needs to show up at home, and stop McCoy and Williams from gashing them.

The Linebackers: ​You could make the argument that there's really nothing to look at here anymore; Kelvin Sheppard is terrible in the middle and Kevin Coyle's defense DEMANDS excellent play from that position if it's to be successful. The team has a promising young rookie in Zach Vigil who could take over for Sheppard, but he lacks functional NFL strength and as a result, Sheppard gets the call, or at least we speculate that's the case.

Jelani Jenkins will likely get the call to cover tight end Charles Clay, who departed in the offseason after getting a major payday from the Bills. Jenkins is perhaps the only true bright spot in this linebacker corps at the moment, and even he has gotten caught overpursuing and making dumb mistakes.

The linebackers have a big job ahead of them, and with the defensive line not firing on all cylinders, they'll need to find a way to step up and at least be decent. Maybe they should let Vigil play...just a thought.

The Running Game: Perhaps this should be titled the lack of a running game, considering how little the Dolphins seem willing to give the ball to Lamar Miller or any of their other running backs for that matter. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has shown extreme reluctance in letting his running backs have the ball, and as a result, the offense is nowhere near as good as it could be.

Consider this: Ryan Tannehill has managed to lead the offense to scores with a sub-par offensive line, and with Lamar Miller running the ball only 23 times in two games. Granted, he's not meant to be a workhorse back, but the number of carries he's getting is pathetic.

Balance is the key to any offense, and even if the running game isn't necessarily working that well, it's imperative to not abandon it. It's hard to fault Tannehill for failing to put points on the board when the opposing defense already knows what's coming. We shall see what happens against Buffalo.

​This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Although they have only allowed three second half points this season, the Miami Dolphins defense has underwhelmed thus far, and tackling has been part of the issue. Sunday’s home opener against the Buffalo Bills will put the Dolphins tackling to the test as the Bills employ a quick hitting passing game paired with hard running from backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams. Pass catchers like Sammy Watkins and the familiar Charles Clay exceed in evading and breaking tackles respectively. 

Dolphins safety Reshad Jones knows the potential headaches that Clay can cause while trying to bring him down. "He has the total package," Said Jones when asked about Clay. "He gets off the ball quick. He's got great hands. He does it all, so it'll be a challenge for our defense." Although Jones knows what he is going up against, he is the least of the Dolphins concerns when it comes to tackling. Pro Football Focus has Jones ranked as the second best safety in the NFL and leads all safeties in stops, but the rest of the defense needs to improve their stopping power.

As far as tackling efficiency, Pro Football Focus has Walt Aikens ranked at 56 out 59 safeties who have played at least half of their team’s snaps. A concerning number that head coach Joe Philbin is quite aware of. “Well, we do some tackling stations during practice.” Said Philbin. “Also, in their individual groups they work on tackling. The middle linebackers worked on it again today. They did it last week. In the team periods we have what we call full pad days where we have thud periods where we want to wrap the ball carrier up and then let him go so the offensive player can finish the play.”

The Dolphins will be challenged, and they are doing what they can to get the team prepared for Sunday’s bout against the Bills. “Certainly it’s easier to practice in full pads but we don’t take anyone to the ground.” Said Philbin when addressing tackling in practice. “Tomorrow we’ll have some drills during the fundamental period and we’ll work on it again during the team period.” Hopefully the extra time spent on tackling pays off because every division game this year is critical to the Dolphins chances of making the post-season.

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter @EfrainRamos.

PhinManiacs fantasy experts Ryan Thyer (@bignoahd05) and Eldon Jenson (@EJFootball) offer their picks of players to sign now or target in trades.

I know this one is obvious-he looked GREAT last week, but I still received questions this week on whether to sign him on waivers.  The answer to that question is YES!  At this time he is still going to split some carries with Morris, but he is better than Morris. I think the Redskins want Jones to steal this job away from Morris, and they are going to give him every opportunity to do so.  


The Redskins are going to run the ball, and they are going to run it a lot.  Expect Jones to get more and more carries as the year goes along.

Let’s face the facts here - even when Andre Ellington comes back he does not seem to be an every down back in the NFL, and although he was serviceable last week, Chris Johnson is not going to steal any RB jobs in the NFL anymore.  David Johnson is the future in Arizona right now, and he is EXPLOSIVE.  


He is a superb receiver, and was at UNI as well, and that will translate great as the season goes along.  Expect David Johnson to become more and more involved every week in both the run game and the pass game.  In PPR leagues he is a must add.

I am one who likes to buy low on guys that struggle early on.  Owners get mad and are willing to dump talent because they are not producing enough, after they “wasted” an early pick on a guy that is not producing as he should.  

When guys don’t produce, owners lose, and they are ready to dump players for cheap because they cannot afford to lose any more games early, and they sell on the cheap.  

This is where a good fantasy owner will improve their team.  Be the person that is there to take those “damaged goods” off of a disappointed owners hands, as those are players that can help you later in the season when they get it back together.

Graham is not happy.  And really he should not be as his role in this offense has been very limited so far.  But this is the exact kind of guy that you should start to target in trade offers.  If you can get Graham from an owner who is ready to be rid of him, jump on it.  Graham still has the ability to have a great season, and his physical tools have not magically diminished.  


He is still the same freak athlete at TE that he has been, and you have to figure that the Seahawks will find a way to get him involved and get him back on track for fantasy purposes.  If you can get him for the right price now, he can be a difference maker at the TE position down the stretch.

I admit I was VERY high on Cooks this off-season.  I thought he was going to have a huge season, and I still think that he can.  This offense is obviously not clicking, and with the threat of Brees missing games, Cooks value will drop.  This is where you can swoop in and take this headache off of someone else’s hands.  


Now is the time to buy cheap, and wait and see what happens with him.  Like Graham, the talent is still there for Cooks, and a lot of people do not have the patience to wait on guys to perform.  He is a perfect buy-low candidate that you can sit on, and hope that his talent pays off down the road.

 I agree with Ryan that if Matt Jones is available on your waiver wire, you need to trip over every object imaginable to get him signed to your squad. But if Jones is gone, look for Lewis. The initial expectation was that Lewis would simply be a fill-in guy while LeGarrette Blount served his one game suspension, and then Lewis would fade to the background. 


Thing is, Lewis played phenomenal, and against stiff defenses to boot. Do we have the makings of the next Curtis Martin? Who knows, but Lewis has the quicks and the moves to stay very involved in this offense. At worst he’s a Danny Woodhead guy and invaluable in PPR leagues. At best? Well, sign him and see.

Moncrief is surprisingly available in 32% of all Yahoo leagues. If he’s available in yours, get him signed. The Colts have struggled in their first two games, and have some offensive line problems, but Andrew Luck is still getting the ball downfield, and Moncrief has seen 19 targets on the year, just two less than T.Y Hilton. I was never high on Andre Johnson as a Colt, and he’s looking long in the tooth so far this season. Moncrief is taking advantage.

Olsen won’t necessarily come cheap, as he still carries considerable name recognition. But with only 7 catches for 81 yards and zero trips to the endzone, the Olsen owner in your league may be frustrated that his star isn’t shining as brightly as expected. Offer them a TE with some early scores (Eric Ebron, Kyle Rudolph) in exchange, and if they bite, you’ll certainly reap the benefits over the course of the season.

Nah, just kidding. Stay away, far, far away.

In the first two games of the season, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been virtually invisible in the statistics columns, generating just two solo tackles and one assisted tackle. Although Suh typically occupies two blockers on a play, and was the victim of many cut blocks in the first week, it’s still puzzling to most fans why the highly-prized free agent isn’t eating up opposing offenses.

The Dolphins defense, touted in the preseason as having the top defensive line in the NFL, currently ranks 23rd overall (27th against the run, 16th against the pass). Is it as frustrating for the players as it is for the fans?

“It's unacceptable,” said Suh. “But … something you've got to understand, you've got to respect every single team's run game. That's our first goal. We've got to go out there and stop (the run). And obviously if we don't stop (the run), we're not going to have that many opportunities to pass rush and get after the quarterback. So they work hand-in-hand.”

After the first game of the season, Suh described his own play as “poor.” When asked how He feels about his play after the Jacksonville loss, he replied, "Still not quite where I want it to be. Fundamentally, I just have to get back into the sync of things. And that's what practice is for, getting with the coaches and understanding my mistakes that I've made, and just going back to work."

As for whether or not Suh is in a slump, and if this weekend’s game against the Buffalo Bills looms large, Suh said that in the NFL “There are no slumps, (no) opportunity to get it back. Baseball, you have an opportunity, you play 100-and-some-odd games or whatever they play, and it's a lot different. …In a division, a division that you definitely want to win, you want to get those. Division wins mean a lot more … all wins matter in this league. You've got to go out there and try to win every single game … We're at home, so we should protect our turf.

“At the end of the day, you have to go back there and figure out how you can get things done, go back to the drawing table, and figure out how we can stop the run, and become dominant, and set the tone."

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

Four AFC East websites get together each week to discuss the AFC East. This week we discuss which division game last week was the biggest storyline. See what Matt Barbato of New York Jet Fuel, Ian Logue of PatsFans.com, Steve Saslow of Bills Daily, and Luis Sung of PhinManiacs has to say right here.

Steve Saslow (@BillsDaily): The bigger storyline from last weekend’s division games is the Jets win over the Colts. This win keeps Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback for gang green and gives them early season recognition as a team on that is surprising people. There 2-0 start gives them a share of first place, and unlike the win over the Browns, it gives them a win over a quality opponent. It also may say something about the Colts not being as good as they were last year but that still remains to be seen.

The Jets are the biggest storyline but the Dolphins shocking loss to the Jags also is a big storyline. Miami is suppose to be the 2nd best team in the division but they barely beat Washington, who isn’t very good, and then lost to one of the worst teams in the league in Jacksonville. Miami still hasn’t played at home yet so this week’s matchup with the Bills may be an early season crossroads for both division rivals.

The Bills loss to the Patriots was very predictable but it is also a good storyline because it shows that New England is still the class of the division and the Bills aren’t ready to challenge them. They may not ever be ready to challenge them as long as Tom Brady is the quarterback.

Luis Sung (@PhinManiacs): The biggest storyline without a doubt is the New York Jets defeating the Indianapolis Colts and going 2-0 to start the season, making them tied for first place with the New England Patriots. Most people - including myself - expected the Jets to essentially fall apart due to their overall lack of talent at wide receiver and their average quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But the fact that they managed to beat Indianapolis (or rather, they beat Andrew Luck) is why the story is such a big deal. Experts were predicting the Colts to finally reach the next level and go to the Super Bowl thanks to the still developing arm of Andrew Luck. But as we all know, the quarterback is not all there is to a football team. Execution of eleven, ladies and gentlemen.

A close second would be the Dolphins losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and what makes it even more egregious is the fact that a lot of the players on the Jaguars were backup players, and still they managed to find a way to lose after just barely getting by Washington the previous week.

The Dolphins fanbase is up in arms and want defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle and head coach Joe Philbin's heads on pikes, and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor may be next if things don't improve quick, fast and in a hurry. There's still hope in Miami thanks to Ryan Tannehill balling out, but again, execution of eleven. Everyone needs to tighten up their game or the Dolphins are going nowhere.

Matt Barbato (@NewYorkJetFuel): As impressive as the Jets were on Monday night, I think the Dolphins loss to Jacksonville is the biggest story of the weekend. Miami has not impressed me one bit in its first two games against pedestrian opponents. The Dolphins easily could have lost to the Washington Redskins in Week 1 if not for a Jarvis Landry punt return.

Ryan Tannehill is playing well, but has been ordinary through two weeks. He has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 585 yards and three touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception, but he hasn't been as explosive as many expected him to be against soft competition.

I've said before that Miami's offensive line and Lamar Miller are the reasons the Dolphins haven't gotten to the next level. They're proving me right again early in 2015. The Dolphins are averaging 58 rushing yards per game through the first two weeks. Miami is one of six teams without a rushing score during the first two weeks of the season.

Lamar Miller has been quite mediocre. He has 67 yards on 23 carries. Miami's offensive line received a 1.5 run block rating (third-best in NFL) by Pro Football Focus, but has countered that with an abysmal -12.9 pass block rating.

Ndamukong Suh has not cured Miami's problems against the run, either. Miami has given up 284 rushing yards against Washington and Jacksonville, who are hardly offensive juggernauts.

The Patriots were expected to beat the Bills, although I'm not sure anyone expected Tom Brady to chuck 466 yards on Buffalo's defense. The Jets pulled an enormous upset, but maybe that's because Indianapolis isn't as good as we thought. Miami's rough start is the biggest story through the first two weeks of the season because of the additions they made to the defense that led to lofty expectations for the Phins in 2015.

Ian Logue (@PatsFans): Monday night saw the Jets make the biggest splash in the AFC East after going into Indianapolis and dominating Andrew Luck and the Colts, which was arguably the biggest storyline of the weekend considering how it unfolded.

The experts expected the Colts to rebound at home and have a big night, but the Jets completely turned the tables and made a statement. New York’s defense picked off Luck three times and also recovered two fumbles, unraveling a Colts team who was probably hoping their week one woes were tied to being on the road in a hostile environment after losing to the Bills. Unfortunately, even being back in the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium didn’t fix what’s ailing them and heading into week three, they’re a complete mess at 0-2 and have a tough road game coming up this Sunday in Tennessee.

Very few people thought much of Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick after Geno Smith took a shot from a teammate that broke his jaw during training camp and knocked him out of the line-up to start the season. That episode could have derailed them, but suddenly Fitzpatrick has seized his opportunity and is settling in, which has the Jets now very much in contention for the division.

On the other end of the spectrum was the play of the Dolphins, who lost a frustrating road game at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars took it to Miami from the start, setting the tone with a 10 play, 82 yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown strike to Jacksonville receiver Allen Robinson, one of two touchdowns for him on the afternoon. But with the game tied at 20-20 with under two minutes to go in the game, the Dolphins defense made some bad decisions, including an unnecessary roughness penalty on defensive end Olivier Vernon that let Jacksonville off the hook while facing a 2nd-and-11 play and gave them 15-yards and a first down. Four plays later, Jacksonville hit a 28-yard field goal with just 0:43 on the clock and that proved to be the game winner.

It’s still early and a lot can change, but between New England’s impressive 2-0 start and the Jets emerging as a contender, things have certainly become a little more interesting in this Division heading into Week 3.

It was like a punch to the gut. We have been here so many times since the Shula years. The team appears set to compete. The team appears ready to challenge for the AFC East and a playoff spot. Then they go out against a team ranked near the bottom of the league that is riddled with injuries and they get beat. 

The playoffs now seem an illusion once again. Playoff teams go into Buffalo in a very hostile situation and throw up 40 points. Playoff teams don't go to Jacksonville and lay an egg. The difference between and 10-6 and 8-8 is losing a game like this. So now here we are, 1-1 with uncertainty all over the place. Our running game has disappeared. Getting it back on track appears even more far fetched with Lamar Miller hurt, both of starting tight ends hurt, and our left tackle hurt. 

Now we face an all too familiar situation. An elite Buffalo defensive line going up against a offensive line that will feature a backup at left tackle along with Dallas Thomas. It must feel like Christmas for the Buffalo defensive line when they play Miami. Laying awake in bed before the game all excited about the physical beating they will get to inflict on Ryan Tannehill.  

Before we can even hope to compete with Buffalo, yes I said compete, not beat. We have to figure out what is going wrong before we can hope to fix it. I am going to take a look at seven critical plays that impacted the Jacksonville game. And if they're repeated they will send Miami to 1-2.

As a fan it is my hope the Jacksonville game was a bad game for the Dolphins and they will get back on track. After the first two games, I highly doubt Buffalo will respect the run and will be pinning back their ears to hit Tannehill. They will likely keep their linebackers back and will not blitz often as the front four may be able to apply pressure without any blitzing. 

This will limit the passing in the middle of the field and make it difficult to use Miami's style of running attack.  This means we could really use help from our defense. If the defense can give our offense a short field and generate a couple turn overs it would be a massive help. When we are on offense if we can hold back Buffalo's front four in check, I think Miami can take advantage of Buffalo's secondary much like New England did. 

However, the last couple years this has not happened and I expect Tannehill will be under severe pressure from the moment the ball is kicked off. Putting on my armchair GM cap. I would have the O-line Ready for Tannehill to use hard counts and use them frequently during the game. This will help slow down Buffalo's defensive line's jump off the snap and aid our offensive line in pass blocking. 

I would also challenge Buffalo deep down the field with DeVante Parker in this game. He excels at going up and getting the football and I think he can present a mismatch for Buffalo in man to man coverage. A couple big chunk plays will not only give Miami a chance to score some points, it will also loosen up the intermediate field for Jarvis Landry to work. 

Finally, in light of injuries at TE. I would consider putting in an extra lineman such as Billy Turner in place of the TE for some sets rather than running almost all 3 and 4 WR sets. He is an excellent drive blocker and could help Miami generate a running game they sorely need to give the offense some balance in this game.

This Film Analysis was completed by Chad Ronnebaum. Follow him on Twitter: @Gofins4SB

DeVante Parker is a talented rookie that was drafted by the Dolphins with the fourteenth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He's fast, he's tall, he has the potential to be an excellent playmaker in the Dolphins offense...and the fanbase is getting impatient waiting for Parker to get significant playing time.

Parker only played 17 of the Dolphins 68 total offensive snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars; in simple math, that equates to Parker playing a quarter of the snaps, while wide receivers like Greg Jennings and Kenny Stills played more than half of the total snaps. Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews got the most snaps out of any of them.

It's progress if nothing else, as 17 snaps is a substantial step up from having only one total snap against the Washington Redskins in the season opener. Of course, his production was anything but substantial as he made only catch for three yards against the Jaguars. For those waiting for Parker to become a regular part of the offense, you should probably be prepared to wait a while longer.

“I’m getting reps here and there,” Parker told the Palm Beach Post. “The more games I play, the more reps I’ll probably get toward the end of the season.”

Parker's lack of playing time is largely due to the fact to the fact that he missed a lot of practice time in training camp and the preseason due to being placed on the PUP list thanks to a surgery he had to replace a screw in his foot. The surgery was meant to prevent anything bad from happening in the long term, and now Parker insists that the injury is no longer an issue.

“The foot feels good,” he said. “The foot is 100 percent now.”

But because of the injury, he now has to fight his way back into the rotation, as his teammates who are ahead of him have a huge headstart on him when it comes to learning the offense and getting to practice in it. With Rishard Matthews and Jarvis Landry stepping up to the plate and Kenny Stills being the team's only speedy deep threat, Parker will have to impress in practice to get significant playing time.

“We have other good players in,” Parker said. “We’re all good. We have a great receiving corps. It’s up to them too. I have to take what they’re doing and just use it for myself.”

Parker will be a huge part of the Dolphins plans in the future, but for right now he'll have to earn his snaps in practice. Fans envision him as being a good redzone target for Ryan Tannehill due to his ability to highpoint passes and reel them in, and Parker is looking forward to proving he can do just that.

"I'm ready."

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

On this week's episode of PhinManiacs Live, we recap the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and try to identify exactly what went wrong.

We'll also discuss the coaching staff, and there will more than likely be some conflicting opinions as some of the panel aren't ready to call for Joe Philbin and Kevin Coyle's heads.

Also on the agenda is quarterback Ryan Tannehill. We evaluate his performance from the game against the Jaguars and discuss whether or not he did enough to win the game.

Joining the gang on this show will be the Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton and thephinsider's Chris "Duke" Early who will give their perspectives on all the topics being talked about this week.

All this and more on this week's edition of the PhinManiacs Podcast. Listen to the YouTube video below or you can click here to download the audio of the show and listen on the go!

Analysts for this show: 

Luis D. Sung - @FLSportDebater
Matthew Cannata - @FinsInsider
Chad Ronnebaum - @Gofins4SB
Kathy Damato - @Kathrineee
Ian Wharton - @NFLFilmStudy
Chris Early - @TheEarl007

In conjunction with the Dolphins 50th season celebration presented by Pepsi, voting took place to select the top 50 players in team history. Four different groups voted on the composition of the team, including fans, Dolphins alumni, South Florida media and a select blue ribbon panel. 

Each group’s selections counted for 25 percent of the overall vote. Five players on the team will be announced each week leading up to home game vs. the New York Giants on Dec. 14th when the entire 50th team will be honored as part of a tribute to the 50 seasons of Dolphins football. The first five members of the team were recently introduced, in no particular order.

Dick Anderson played ten seasons (1968-77) in Miami at safety and was one of the key performers on the “No-Name” defense of the great Dolphins teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972-73, including their 1972 “Perfect Season.” Anderson started every game from 1969 through 1974 and had 34 interceptions with the Dolphins, the second-highest total in team history. 

He made three Pro Bowl teams and was named as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973, one of only three Dolphins ever to earn that honor. He was selected to the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2006.

“It’s nice to be remembered. And I’m proud to be one of the members of the ‘No-Name’ defense on the team. I’m looking forward to seeing some of my teammates join me, but I really think an award should be given to the entire defense as a whole because we played so well together as a team and had a brilliant defensive coordinator in Bill Arnsparger,” Anderson said.

Mark Clayton played ten seasons (1983-92) with the Dolphins at wide receiver and combined with Mark Duper to form the “Marks Brothers” receiving duo. Clayton finished with 550 catches for 8,643 yards and 81 touchdowns. He ranks first in Dolphins history in career receptions and touchdowns and second in receiving yards. 


Clayton had 18 touchdown catches in 1984, then an NFL single-season record and still the Dolphins team record. In 2003, he was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll.
 
“I’m truly humbled and honored with the selection and it goes to show you that all things are possible when you have the favor of God,” Clayton said.

Mark Duper played 11 seasons (1982-92) with the Dolphins at wide receiver, combining with Clayton to form the “Marks Brothers.” He finished with 511 catches for 8,869 yards and 59 touchdowns and ranks first in career reception yardage, second in receptions and third in touchdowns in Dolphins history. 


His average of 17.4 yards per catch is the second highest in team history (minimum 100 receptions). Duper was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2003.
 
“It’s a great feeling to be named as one of the top 50 players in Dolphins history. But while it’s a great honor to be among so many great players, I have so much gratitude to a lot of people who won’t make the team – many of the coaches and players who helped me get my job done. I want to give them the recognition they deserve because in my eyes my success is due to the all players and coaches I worked with during my Dolphins career.”

O.J. McDuffie played nine years (1993-2001) with the Dolphins at wide receiver and ranks fourth on the team’s all-time reception list with 415 receptions and is fifth with 5,074 receiving yards. He led the team in catches for three straight seasons. McDuffie’s 90 catches in 1998 remains Miami’s single season reception record and also is the only time a Dolphins player ever led the NFL in catches. 

He is tied for the team record for most punt returns and one of three Dolphins to have two career punt returns for a touchdown.
 
“It means so much to me to be voted to the team. The Dolphin organization is so well respected and had so many great players over 50 years that to be part of that is really special and something I truly appreciate.  I’ve gone from being a player on the team to one of its biggest fans, and this is icing on the cake for me as someone who has always considered myself a Dolphin ever since the day they drafted me,” McDuffie said.

Jake Scott played six years (1970-75) with the Dolphins at safety and was one of the key performers on the “No-Name” defense of the great Dolphins teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972-73, including the 1972 “Perfect Season.” Scott started every game in his Dolphins career and his 35 interceptions remain the Dolphins’ career INT record. 


He made the Pro Bowl five times, the most by any Miami defensive back and was the Most Valuable Player in the Dolphins’ win in Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins with two interceptions. Scott also holds the team record for most career punt returns and most punt return yardage. He was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2010.
 
“It’s a hell of an honor. I was so lucky that I had so many great players on defense around me during the time I played in Miami. Some of the ones who didn’t get as much recognition – guys like Doug Swift, Mike Kolen, Bob Matheson and others were as good as anyone in the league. You’re not going to win ten or more games a year and two Super Bowl championships if you have a bad defense, and they all deserve credit for being among the very best at their position,” Scott said.

With the loss of Louis Delmas and an ailing Reshad Jones second year fourth round pick Walt Aikens was thrown into the fire against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With only 14 tackles coming into the season, Aikens is an inexperienced safety and growing pains are to be expected. 

Starting safety Reshad Jones not only leads the league in tackles (tied with three others including Dolphins linebacker Jelani Jenkins,) but he has yet to miss a tackle this season. If Jones is limited, Aikens needs to step up and help the defense contain offenses on the back end.

According to Pro Football Focus, Walt Aikens missed two tackles against the Jaguars and had a negative grade overall. He got beat for a 40+ yard gain against Allen Robinson which definitely lowered his grade and the coaching staff took note of it. “Walt got beat on a double move, okay.” Said defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. “ I told the players, ‘put on SportsCenter tonight and you’re probably going to see five or six other guys getting beat on double moves. That happens in the NFL.’ Has it happened to us a lot? No.”

Whether it happens a lot around the league or not, the Dolphins cannot allow themselves to be gashed by big plays, especially next week against the Bills where points will be hard to come by. Kevin Coyle has been scrutinized for his play calling, but the players themselves need to execute and prevent the big plays. “Another one, down the sideline we were in as good of position you could be in on a nine route…” said Coyle when describing one of the big plays that the Dolphins defense allowed. “…and the guy goes up and over and makes the play. We’ve got to get better at that, but at the same time I’m not pointing fingers at anyone saying that they’re not getting the job done. We all collectively have got to do better.”

Judging by the feel of Miami Dolphins fans and players, one would think they are at 0-2, but the team is sitting at .500 going into week three, and the confidence needs to remain high for the team to find success. “I think certainly, there is nothing more valuable for a defensive back than experience.” Said Coyle when asked about Aikens’ confidence. “Being out there play after play, seeing things and having the opportunity to learn from it.”

Reshad Jones showed up on the injury report today and was listed as a limited participant in practice. If Jones cannot go on Sunday, Walt Aikens will be held responsible for taking care of the backfield and he will have to play better to do so. Missed assignments and tackles will not be tolerated, so we are hoping Aikens plays big in what could be the most important game of his young career.

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter @EfrainRamos

On Halloween night two years ago, Richie Incognito played in what would be his final game in a Dolphins uniform.

And then Bullygate happened.

Without rehashing all the details, suffice to say that in a whirlwind of national headlines, investigations, suspensions, and culminating with the infamous Ted Wells report, Incognito was suspended, never to play another down for the Dolphins, and missing the entire 2014 season.

This Sunday, Incognito returns to Miami as the starting guard for the Buffalo Bills, and he’s certainly aware of the media interest. For the most part, he’d like to the story to go away, as he’s focused on reigniting his career. But he understand that in today’s information-fed world, that’s not about to happen.

"I would hope that we can move past all this," said Incognito. "But I definitely understand that it's still going to be prevalent, probably through the end of this year. The Monday Night Football guys will probably be bringing it up five years from now."

Incognito says that he is still friends with several players and staff in Miami, and is looking forward to getting together with them while he’s in town. Coach Rex Ryan has a history of naming players as captains when they play against their former teams, but Incognito says he hasn’t yet been told if he’ll be named a captain for Sunday’s game. He also doesn’t know how he’ll be received by fans of the team for which he played three and half seasons.

"I have no idea what to expect. I really have no idea. Like I said, I've got a lot of friends in the organization. I've got a lot of friends that still play down there. I've got a lot of friends in the South Florida area. I've always had a lot of love from their fans. I've got a lot of respect for them."

While he admits that he is amped up, and that this game does have a little more meaning, Incognito is being careful to not incite a media firestorm, or add any bulletin board material to his opponent’s locker room.

"This one just has a little more meaning,” he said. “I think it's one of those things in professional sports where you cross paths with one of your old teams, and you want to give it to them."

“It's like brotherly love. You want to kick your brother's butt in anything you do."

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

Miami Dolphins S Michael Thomas, along with mascot TD, cheerleaders and Miami Dolphins Women’s Organization (MDWO) members, presented Mae E. Walters students and Principal Milko Brito an autographed jersey and did a ribbon cutting in celebration of the team service project this past June where Dolphins players, coaches and staff worked to create a better learning environment for the students.
 
“The kids were so happy to come and see a brand new building. They couldn’t believe that this was the same school they left last school year because this was a surprise. During the summer we did the work, and they didn’t know what happened until they finally came out and saw the beautiful school. They’re very, very excited,” Principal Brito said. “The kids today are all going crazy, yelling and happy to have the Dolphins here and thankful. We’re very happy that the Dolphins did this for us and for our students, they’re the ones who benefit.” 
 
The ribbon cutting and jersey presentation was followed by a pep rally, highlighting the importance of education, physical fitness and positive choices.
 
“Today was a blast. This summer we did landscaping, painting; just gave the school a makeover and it was great to see our work benefitting these kids,” Thomas said. “The kids – to see the smiles on their faces was tremendous. Anytime you can give back to the community, and just see how much they really enjoy meeting you, that’s how you want to use your platform.”