The current economic situation has had an effect on this process, again proving no industry is immune to a recession. The deal for the Dolphins is expected to be worth roughly $1.1 billion in total and Ross has been searching for investors to help finalize the deal. However, Huizenga has been desperate to unload his majority ownership, so much so that he is allowing Ross to defer less than 1/3 of the payments in order to finalize the deal sooner.

The change in ownership isn’t expected, at the moment, to have many visible changes to the franchise. The biggest change revolves around Bill Parcells’ days in Miami. Parcells had a clause in his contract, signed by Huizenga, that if Huizenga were to sell the team Parcells would have 30 days to decide to stay with the team, or walk away with the remaining $12 million on his 4 year $16 million contract.

Parcells, along with coach Tony Sparano, is one of the main reasons for the Dolphins amazing turnaround in 2008. Parcells has long had a great eye for talent and it would be wonderful to see him remain with the team and see what magic he could churn up. Assuming the sale is finalized today, Parcells will have 30 days to decide to stay with the team or walk away with his cash. Huizenga believes Parcells will stay, but so far no comment has come from Parcells regarding the situation.

Starting on offense, the most glaring need is for a game changing playmaker. 2 years ago the Dolphins believed they had that in drafting Ted Ginn Jr, and though he showed vast improvement this year, he’s still not an elite level performer who can lift his team on his shoulders and will them to victory. Chad Pennington has already been inked as the starter for next season, so what must the Dolphins give him to boost the potential of the offense?

Wide receiver is still the biggest issue needing to be addressed, an issue that can possibly be addressed by free agency. Tampa Bay WR Antonio Bryant is the biggest free agent WR this year, and the pool gets shallow for talent if he leaves the market quickly. The Dolphins’ remaining options would be TJ Houshmanzadeh, Jabar Gaffney, Amani Toomer, Michael Clayton, Devery Henderson, Shaun McDonald, Nate Washington, or Bryant Johnson. The majority of these guys have been role players for years now, are past their prime, or missed it all together.

The draft might however provide Miami the chance to get a young, albeit unproven in the NFL, explosive playmaker. The top playmakers coming out in this years draft for the Dolphins to target would be West Virginia’s Pat White or Florida’s Percy Harvin. Harvin hasn’t declared for the draft yet, but is expected to and is perhaps the most versatile threat coming out of the NCAA this season. The only catch here is Harvin is not likely to fall far enough in the draft that Miami could get their hands on him. However, White may fall far enough and would be an excellent weapon in the Dolphins wildcat scheme.

The Dolphins also have offensive line issues to answer. The Dolphins would like to resign T Vernon Carey, but if they cannot they must go out and find either a back up ready to emerge as a starter or sign a stop gap player and draft someone for a long term solution. The Dolphins also appear interested in changing  personnel at center, with C Jason Brown (25) of Baltimore being the top available free agent.

On defense, the Dolphins have more issues to tackle. Most important, the team needs another pass rusher in the front 7. Two very good, and very expensive, options will be out there. Julius Peppers from Carolina and Terrell Suggs from Baltimore. The only problem here, Baltimore is expected to stick the franchise tag on Suggs. Other options exist, but these two are far and away the best.

At linebacker, the Dolphins are trying to work out a new deal for Channing Crowder, but money appears to be sticking point with Crowder already having rejected one offer. If he were to go, Baltimore’s Bart Scott is likely to end up a free agent as the Ravens may not have the money to sign Scott in addition to free agents Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis.

As for CBs and Safeties, it gets a little easier. The best options at CB, should the Dolphins desire change, are Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha and Houston’s Dunta Robinson. The Dolphins want to keep both Yeremiah Bell and Renaldo Hill at the safety positions, but in the event they don’t, OJ Atogwe, James Butler, and Jim Leonhard are all good options on the free agent market.

For now, the Dolphins are free to dream big. They are expected to be roughly $25 million below the NFL salary cap, leaving them room to spend freely and acquire some big names. If they spend wisely, they could attract 2-3 talented new players to a franchise with renewed hope of success. Lets hope the Dolphins are proactive and get what they need to make 2009 as enjoyable for the fans as 2008.

The Miami Dolphins looked more like the team of 2007 today as they fell 27-9 to the Baltimore Ravens. The Dolphins’ problems were almost too many to list, but we’ll try and hit them all. Chad Pennington, usually so careful with the football, threw 4 interceptions, the defense put almost NO pressure on Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco, and the offense just couldn’t breakdown the Raven defense.

In the 1st half it appeared the game would be a defensive stalemate throughout. The teams traded FGs in the 1st quarter, and no TDs were scored until Ravens’ safety Ed Reed picked off Pennington and returned it 57 yds for a TD. A Baltimore FG with 16 seconds left would send Baltimore into halftime with a 13-3 lead.

In the 2nd half Miami’s turnover problems would get worse, and so would the score. Baltimore would get a TD in the 3rd quarter to stretch their lead to 20-3, and after Miami got back to 20-9 on a Pennington TD pass (Carpenter would miss the PAT), Flacco scrambled into the endzone with 3:53 to play giving Baltimore the 27-9 victory.

The biggest problem for the Dolphins was their uncharacteristic amount of turnovers. After turning the ball over only 13 times this season, tied with the New York Giants for the lowest in the NFL, the Dolphins turned the ball over 5 times today. Chad Pennington, who threw only 7 INTs all season, threw 4 today. Another major problem for the Dolphins was the defensive line. Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco had all day in the pocket to make decisions as the Dline was getting NO pressure. Despite that, Flacco was unable however to really burn the Dolphins on a consistent basis.

In the end, the Dolphins inability on offense cost them today against a superior Ravens’ defense. The Dolphins struggled to move the ball, almost completely lacking a run game, and turned the ball over too much to survive their encounter with the Ravens.

The Dolphins are now left to ponder a season that was, look back on the good and bad, and try to build off of their successes in the 2009 season. Make no mistake, the Dolphins meager effort today doesn’t take away from their amazing season. Tony Sparano, Bill Parcells, and the Dolphins’ players were able to prove their detractors wrong and win the AFC East when no one gave them a chance. Next season, it will be time to build off their successes this year and see if they can return to the playoffs and get a better result.

Our offensive choices are way too conservative given the situation. How many short dumps can they do underneath their linebackers? How many draw plays?

If they don’t open up now, its over. Pennington is looking very Jetsy in this 2nd half.

The Dolphins have a good deal of recent history against the Ravens. The last time the Dolphins made the playoffs, they faced the Ravens and were booted from the playoffs in bad fashion after a 20-3 loss. Last season, as the Dolphins struggled, it was the Ravens they defeated 22-16 to get their lone win of the season. And earlier this season as the Dolphins struggled to a 2-4 start, it was the loss against the Ravens 27-14 that lit a fire under the Dolphins. After that loss the Dolphins went on to finish the season 9-1, win the AFC East, and find themselves hosting an opening round playoff game.

If the Dolphins hope to keep their magical season afloat, they should pay close attention to the lessons learned in their past two encounters with the Ravens. Within those games the Dolphins can find the gameplan to beat the Ravens again this Sunday. The Dolphins lived much of this season taking advantage of the “wildcat” formation, using its surprise and versatility to take advantage of their opponents confusion. The Ravens however are one of the BEST defenses in the NFL and in the Dolphins’ loss to the Ravens earlier this season, Baltimore was more than ready for the wildcat formations.

The Dolphins need only look to last seasons victory over Baltimore to find the way to beat them. The best way to beat Baltimore is a balanced attack and the ability to exploit a weakness if/when it is found. Baltimore will no doubt be ready for the wildcat, so the Dolphins need to employ a more conventional game plan and save the wildcat for surprise opportunities.

Win, lose, or draw tomorrow the Miami Dolphins are by far THE story of the NFL this season. Their meteoric rise from 1-15, to 11-5, division winner, and playoff participant is almost unprecedented. The Dolphins are just the 2nd team in NFL history to make a 10 game improvement on their record and make the playoffs. A huge amount of kudos are due to Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano for tearing down a system that wasn’t working and build it from the ground up. No one in their wildest imagination could have forseen such a rapid turnaround, but while it lasts, enjoy the ride! GO FINS!

After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Jets struck first going up 6-0 on a Brett Favre TD pass, but failed a 2pt conversion. The Dolphins would answer back as Chad Pennington connected with Ted Ginn Jr on a 27yd TD pass to go ahead 7-6. 15 seconds later Philip Merling would intercept a Favre pass and take it to the house to extend the Dolphins’ lead to 14-6. A Jets FG at the end of the half made the Dolphins’ halftime lead 14-9.

The Jets would briefly take the lead in the 3rd quarter on a 10yd TD rush to go up 17-14. Pennington would put the Dolphins ahead for good when he hooked up with TE Anthony Fasano for a 20yd TD pass, giving the Dolphins a 21-17 lead. A Dan Carpenter FG in the 4th would give the Dolphins a 24-17 lead.

The Dolphins’ victory on Sunday was sweet in so many ways, it is nearly impossible to list them all. The Dolphins joined the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to see a 10 game improvement in their record and make the playoffs one season after a dismal record. Chad Pennington, who was dumped by the New York Jets in August when Favre arrived, led his new team into his old team’s stadium and took the AFC East crown (and a playoff spot) away from them.

A huge congratulations has to go out to coach Tony Sparano and his staff, Parcells, and the players for doing what no one thought they could possibly do this season. The Dolphins will host the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.

The first half was an offensive shoot out with the two teams exchanging blows. After a mild 1^st quarter ended with Miami up 10-7, both teams came out firing in the 2^nd quarter. The teams would score a combined 35 points in the 2^nd and Kansas City would go into halftime with a 28-24 lead.

After a first half that saw the Dolphins’ defense gashed from left to right by Kansas City’s offense, the Dolphins’ D showed up and shut down Kansas City in the 2^nd half. The Fins’ D would allow only a FG in the 3^rd quarter and Miami’s offense would score a TD in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters to win the game 38-31.

Chad Pennington lead Miami’s balanced attack on 26/34 passing for 235yds and 3TDs. Patrick Cobbs would rush for 44yds, Ricky Williams 34yds and a TD, Ronnie Brown 32yds, and Ted Ginn Jr added a 31yd TD rush to carry the rushing load for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins now find themselves in complete control of their own destiny. New England won to keep pace with the Dolphins, and the New York Jets lost in Seattle to put Miami in front in the AFC East. With a victory next week over the Jets, the Dolphins will be headed for the playoffs.

Ronnie Browns joins Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and Thomas Jones of the New York Jets in the trio of AFC running backs at the Pro Bowl. Ronnie Brown is a somewhat curious choice from a statistical standpoint as he has 827yds and a 4.2yds/carry average and 10 TDs while rookie Steve Slaton of the Houston Texans has 1,124yds and a 4.9yds/carry average with 8 TDs. Brown however has meant more to his team over the course of the season than Slaton has to the Texans. At times Brown has literally willed the Dolphins to victory. Odd choice or not, Brown is certainly deserving.

Joey Porter would have had every right to cry wolf had he been ignored as he has been the heart and soul of the Miami defense this season, playing a critical role in the turn around of the Dolphins this season. Porter has 35 solo tackles with 11 assists, but leads the AFC in sacks with 17.5. Porter has seen his career revived this season with Miami and is the leader of the Dolphins defense this season.

Both players are deserving of their selection to this season’s Pro Bowl. Congratulations to Ronnie Brown on his 1st appearance, and congrats to Porter on his 4th appearance. It will be Porters 4th Pro Bowl, 1st as a Dolphin.

For the 3rd straight game the Dolphins’ defense was relentless, displaying a bend but don’t break attitude to make their team’s 2 TDs hold up. The win was Miami’s 7th in their last 8 games and it kept them in a tie for 1st place in the AFC East with the New York Jets and New England Patriots.

Miami’s offense wasn’t particularly potent this week. The Dolphins were outgained 318 - 248yds while gaining only 11 first downs and converting only 1 third down all game, in comparison to 24 first downs and 8 third down conversions for San Fran. Chad Pennington connected on a 61yd TD pass to TE David Martin in the 1st qtr and on a 19yd TD pass to TE Joey Haynos in the 2nd qtr to provide all the offense Miami would need.

Miami’s defense on the other hand was red hot today and wasn’t going to allow San Francisco to steal this game from them. Slowly the 49ers chipped away at the Dolphins lead in the 2nd half and with 2:36 to go in the game San Fran had a 10 play drive going to try and steal the game. The defense would stand tall and stop the 49ers on 4th down deep in Miami territory to preserve the victory.

In allowing no TDs again this week, Miami has now gone 3 games without allowing an opponent to score a touchdown, the first such stretch the Dolphins have had since 1973. Miami’s offense sputtered today and was not particularly effective, but they did just enough and protected the ball, never turning it over. The Dolphins are on pace to set an NFL record for the fewest turnovers in a season.

With the win, Miami remains in a tie for 1st place in the AFC East with the New York Jets and New England Patriots. The Jets, playing at the same time, ran a fumble back for a TD late to survive their game with the Buffalo Bills, and at the moment New England is cruising against the Oakland Raiders, up 42-20 in the 3rd quarter. Miami’s destiny remains in its own hands, win out and you’re in the playoffs. Now it becomes important for Miami to focus on Kansas City next week and not look ahead to the Jets in the season finale.

Nice special teams tackle right there…