uneducated fans think Miami pulled a Dan Snyder this year. Our cap room is actually pretty good. If we can afford to let Starks go, we even have some slight flexibility.

Better question is how do our moves not have "recognizable human logic"? We needed a deep threat WR, we got the best one in the game. Needed a TE, we got one. (yes hes hurt, but oh well) We needed a CB, we got one

 

Eh, think it's more or less the view that FA's don't make the impact they thought they would when signed.

How we can trade Bess and Fasano for Gibson and Wallace and not be ahead of the game is beyond me,

Still a bit concerned about Reggie Bush's replacement, not at all worried about Long's departure.

 

with randall and francis cut, we are not in a position to let starks go...that depth is gone

 

Look who wrote the article. That should be explanation enough.

 

Last year, Ireland was a stingy POS who wouldn't spend money to improve the team. This year, he just can't stop himself from spending and making splashy moves... I'm not Ireland's biggest supporter, but the media really needs to stick to their story. It's getting out of hand.

One thing I will say in Ireland's favor, is the "big spending, splashy moves" contracts he offered are structured very well. We don't assume a ton of risk (some, but that's to be expected) long term if these guys don't pan out. For example...

Remember how we overpaid Mike Wallace for 5 years, 63 million?

2013: 1 million base salary + 2.2 million from bonus
2014: 15 million base salary. + 2.2 million from bonus *Dolphins are purposefully going to carry over 20+ million into next years cap, so basically free.
2015: 10 million base salary + 2.2 million from bonus *Carry over not included as it's unknown.

2016 and 2017 are basically option years at 12 million. More than likely, if we want him long term, we'll restructure the deal.

So in total, worst case scenario, Mike Wallace doesn't pan out the way Miami envisioned. We don't want to accept his option years. Mike Wallace pretty much costs 15.4 million over three years. Averaging 5.13 million a year.

Anyone in the NFL not want Mike Wallace at 5.13 million a year? Even if he doesn't pan out long term, no one is turning down Mike Wallace at that price. It's a slam dunk, really. Low risk, high reward, no traded draft picks, no long-term ridiculous contracts ala the Carolina RB's, etc...

NFL media gunna NFL media. I've never heard of Grantland until recently. I now see why. I'm not one to heckle the media for attacking the Dolphins. However, that site is is run by hacks who refuse to dig deeper than the byline.

 

Miami hate..

 

I stopped reading when he admitted he was a Pats fan.

 

It's Bill Simmons' work, and it's not about the Boston Celtics.

 

Bill Simmons is super awful.

 

Nationally, people don't understand why Dansby and Burnett were swapped with what they perceive as an overpaid Phil Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe; they believe it to be a wash at best and most likely a panic move that involves overpaying a journeyman and an overrated player. They also think Mike Wallace was grossly overpaid, especially considering all the reports were Greg Jennings (and his smaller contract) being the lock for Miami.

That's where that analysis comes from.

 

Its a website correlated with Bill Simmons....you can't expect good, logical writing.

 

"Tonight, the Ravens are getting over a touchdown (a perplexing 7.5 points, to be exact) in Denver against a defense that doesn't have Miller or Champ Bailey. I'm parlaying the Ravens " Bill Simmons

Uh Huh...and I'm taking Sunday off with my Eliminator in week 1 behind me. (Thank You Peyton Manning) May the Raiders beat Indy and the Bills beat New England. (That would eliminate over half the players in week 1.... Ahhh dream big.)

 

It's lazy analysis based on exactly one thing. Because the Dolphins have been a mediocre franchise for awhile, they will be a mediocre franchise forever. The same logic applied to the Seahawks, 49ers, Ravens, Broncos and Patriots until everything clicked and now they're perfect franchises that will do everything right forever and ever ad infinitum. If we go 12-4 this year the national media's narrative will change into how Ireland had a vision and got rid of a bunch of losers for people that are chosen to fit within the team's image and all the questionable choices over the years led to this vision of the team that is unassailable.

Remember how stupid the Fins were for doing things like not drafting Brady Quinn? Or not signing Matt Flynn? Yeah, this is that in a different form.

 

That's the thing about the internet; $hit always sticks.

 

Simmons is awful. Not only is he a Patriots homer, he's an awful sports reporter. I cant sand to watch him on TV or listen to him on the radio. Its horribly awkward. I turn the channel.

 

Simmons is usually, a pretty good writer. I use that in a general sense. His forte is basketball though, and admittedly, he is a fan of all things Boston, and thus, his view will be slanted, despite even good intentions not to be.

I always chuckle when a specific fan base gets mad about a national writer's brief perspective on the team. Of course they won't have the same insight as fan that follow a single team specifically, he simply doesn't have the time to do so.

Having said that, I felt like this piece was an attempt to mimic the www.deadspin.com pieces on "Why Your Team Sucks." A poor attempt at that. Bill is humorous, but I wouldn't consider him to be outright funny, which I think he is trying to be here.

Oh well, can't win them all.

But I also won't blow this out of proportion and claim that he is a terrible writer and awful sports journalist, because he isn't.

 

I dont watch anything except NFL, NCAA football, and MLB, so I dont know how good or bad anyone is about writing about any other sport. However, if he's good at that, and awful at the NFL, he should stick to what he's good at. I stick to my belief that he's the kind of person I'd have to walk away from in real life because he creeps me out.

 

I don't love the guy, but as a fan base, we tend to completely dismiss a writer if they lob any sort of criticism towards our team(s). Whether the criticism is correct or not, is secondary, in most cases. Taking our own team out of the equation, and this was written about say, The Raiders, none of us here would call him a horrid writer and all of that. It's part of being a fan.

I'm a Lakers fan and have to suffer through Bill killing my team more than any other because of his Celtic fandom. I still chuckle at a few of the barbs, because he is exactly that, a dude who can write something to make you chuckle. At least in my opinion, anyway.

If nothing else, he has succeeded in that this article was linked to, and now discussed by Dolphins fans on the eve of the opening weekend. With regards to being a business, this is exactly what he set out to accomplish.

 

I agree with this. I like Simmons; he is an amazing story in a way. He started out as an early sports blogger and he's gradually turned himself into a mini-media mogul. I didn't think Grantland would work, but apparently it has. His basic schtick is that he's a fan, with all a fan's rooting interests, biases (Larry Bird is Basketball Jesus; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is Satan), obsessions (pop culture, for Simmons). And at least he admits what they are.

He writes too much and spreads himself too thin, but that is the only way he could get to where he is.

I think he really does know a lot about basketball; I suspect he was more on top of football and baseball a half-decade ago.

Never seen him on TV, so I can't speak to that.

 

its a typical national beat writer wo didn´t put in the time to get more information on the salary cap situation

 

He is a good historian....on Basketball...But he doesn't know a THING. He is a terrible basketball analyst.

 

From your numbers:
1st year 1 + 2.2 = $3.2M
2nd year 15 + 2.2= $17.2M
3rd year 10 + 2.2 = $12.2M

3rd year total= $32.6M

3 year average = $10.86M

How are you getting $5.13M a year without the option years? From the "basically free" cap carry over? That's not how that works, salary cap can be used on any player, and other than his cost is totally independent of Mike Wallace. The Dolphins made a significant investment in Wallace.

 

$27 million guaranteed is what we paid including signing bonus

 

Yes, but Ireland purposefully kept the cap coffers full, to carry money over into next year. We're carrying over 22 million, covering the entirety of Mike Wallace's 2013 salary and then some.

 

Getting way off topic, but why do you think so? You seem to know a lot about bball (not being sarcastic).