Tag Archive | "Jason Taylor"
Posted on 29 December 2011. Tags: career, dolphins, editing, franchise, help-the-new, jahmal-corner, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, news-conference, taylor
(Reuters) – Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor is to bring the curtain down on his 15-year NFL career after Sunday’s season finale against the New York Jets.
The 37-year-old is the active leader in sacks with 139.5, which places him sixth on the all-time list, and also holds an NFL record six fumble returns for touchdowns.
Drafted by the Dolphins in 1997, Taylor spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the franchise.
“It’s been a great run,” Taylor told a news conference following Dolphins’ practice on Wednesday.
“It’s been a tough year, unfortunately. We’ve had some good times. This is the right time for me to go ahead and allow this organization to grow and improve.”
Taylor, who spent most of his career at defensive end before switching to linebacker, rejoined the Dolphins in the off-season for the third stint of his career.
Miami have a disappointing 5-10 record this year despite seven sacks from Taylor.
Much of Taylor’s career has been spent on underperforming Dolphins teams and his last playoff game with the franchise came in 2001. He did help the New York Jets get to the AFC Championship game last season but never reached a Super Bowl.
Taylor is a six-times Pro Bowler and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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Posted in dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
Posted on 29 December 2011. Tags: beach, book, dolphins, games, Jason Taylor, jets, Miami Dolphins, michael-strahan, New York Jets, organization, retirement, Rex Ryan, team, time
By Greg Stoda
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DAVIE — The second-greatest player in Miami Dolphins history is all but done.
Jason Taylor, a defensive end/linebacker extraordinaire for the Dolphins, announced his retirement Wednesday to be effective at the end of the season, which comes Sunday afternoon in Sun Life Stadium against the New York Jets.
There’ll be a certain symmetry to the end of Taylor’s glistening career.
It spanned 15 seasons – all but two with Miami, as he spent one year with Washington and last year with … the Jets.
“There are a lot of coincidences, I guess,” Taylor said at the team’s practice facility.
And he at least hinted that his retirement, which he said he had been contemplating “the last few weeks,” is coincidental with franchise plans.
“I figured out that this is the right move to make and the right time to do it,” Taylor said. “The organization in the near future is going to make some changes, and part of those changes is needing to address personnel positions. It’s the right time for me to go ahead and allow this organization to grow and improve.”
If it was suggested to Taylor that a graceful exit would be best for everyone involved, he seemed at ease with it.
“Just kick ol’ 99 out the door and move on,” Taylor said with a smile in reference to his certain-to-be retired number.
In a statement, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said Taylor “will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family.”
Teammates called him a “mentor,” a “leader by example” and an “ambassador.”
Oh, sure, there’s room for legitimate debate on that second-greatest thing.
Dan Marino is the undisputed king, of course, but Larry Csonka and Bob Griese and perhaps a couple other Dolphins heroes would draw support away from Taylor in voting for whomever is next.
But not in my book.
Taylor was a six-time Pro Bowl pick. He once was the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was an NFL Man of the Year once, too, in recognition of his off-field contributions to society through the foundation bearing his name and benefitting children in need.
How’s that for a third-round pick – the best thing Jimmy Johnson ever did as Miami’s coach – out of Akron in 1997?
And there was effusive praise from Jets coach Rex Ryan: ” (Taylor is) a no-brainer Hall of Famer. But what a guy. He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected this team so positively. I’m just proud I had the chance to coach him. A class act all the way.
“The way he would talk to players. He always had time for guys. Leaned on them, asked them questions. This guy would run scout team running back for us. The same person every day, always had a smile on his face.
“A great, great person, and was like a young kid out there. That’s why it’s interesting he would retire, because he’s so full of energy and spirit. He was just, wow, he was one of those special people that you’re lucky to be around.”
But it wasn’t all roses in Miami for Taylor, who, feeling unwanted and disrespected by then-czar Bill Parcells, was traded to Washington before the 2008 season. He returned to the Dolphins’ fold the next season before leaving again to join the Jets and inviting the wrath of Miami fans for switching sides in the fierce rivalry.
And he played in just six playoff games with Miami in failing to reach the Super Bowl.
Taylor, who got to the AFC championship game with the Jets, called the failure to win a championship with the Dolphins a “regret.”
Taylor was circumspect on the issue of retirement just last month during an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
“The seasons go by faster now,” Taylor said at the time. “The end is near. You start counting days and realize you may not have another opportunity in a year. You cherish the games, and enjoy them more.”
Asked then if he would play in 2012, Taylor replied, “I’m not starting that ball rolling yet.”
He’s healthy, and would be 38 years old next season. Once he did start the ball rolling, it stopped with the retirement decision.
Taylor has seven sacks this season and 139 1/2 for his career to rank first among active players and sixth on the NFL’s all-time list. (He would catch Michael Strahan in fifth place with two against the Jets.)
“I wish he’d have retired before we played,” Ryan joked. “That would be better.”
Taylor has played well this season in what was supposed to be a limited role, but one that expanded due to injury elsewhere on the roster and his own high level of performance.
He’s a great athlete; he’s an interesting man.
And he’s behind only Marino in Dolphins’ lore as a player on at least one ballot.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
Posted in dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Rex Ryan
Posted on 29 December 2011. Tags: career, defensive, dolphins, during-the-2010, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, nfl, personal, Rex Ryan, taylor, team, time, year
DAVIE—
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor began by saying the moment was unfortunate.
He then quickly corrected himself.
He considered Wednesday’s retirement announcement as a fortunate day in his personal life. After 15 seasons, 13 with the Dolphins, Taylor will play his final game Sunday against the New York Jets at Sun Life Stadium.
“This will be my last game as a Miami Dolphin as a professional football player,” Taylor said. “I look forward to enjoying this week and soaking it all in for the next few days. We have a game left to play. There will be time for thank yous and goodbyes. This is not the time for that.”
Taylor will end his career against the team he played for during the 2010 season. He spent another year with the Washington Redskins, but will always be remembered for his days with the Dolphins. He recorded most of his success in Miami, where he put up numbers worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
“In my opinion, that’s a no-brainer Hall of Fame player,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “What a guy. He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected the team so positively.”
Taylor ranks sixth in NFL history with 139.5 sacks. The league began counting the statistic in 1982. His 131 sacks with the Dolphins are the most in franchise history. Taylor was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
He said he made the decision after consulting with friends, including former Dolphins teammates and brother-in-law Zach Thomas.
“I figured out this was the right move to make, the right time to do it,” Taylor said. “It’s been a tough year, unfortunately. We’ve had some good times, we’ve had a lot of bad times, too.”
Taylor said the lone regret of his career was never winning a championship with the Dolphins. Team owner Stephen Ross released a statement saying Taylor “will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family.”
“We congratulate him for all he has done and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as he begins the next chapter in his life,” Ross said.
Taylor compared his locker-room experiences with the Dolphins as a fraternity. He spent many days playing dominoes with teammates after practice, building a friendly rivalry with receiver Brandon Marshall.
Marshall jokingly said he let Taylor win a game Wednesday so that “he’s going out a winner.”
“I played dominoes with the guy every day,” Marshall said. “There are only a few guys that have that fire that loves to compete that hates to lose. The thing I noticed about J.T. when we’re playing dominoes is that it doesn’t matter, it’s a friendly game, there’s nothing on the line but he hates to lose.”
Taylor said his future plans are unknown, but they won’t involve returning to football.
“I’m not even going to leave the door open for any of that stuff,” Taylor said. “I might even change my cell phone number so they can’t get me.”
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Posted in Brandon Marshall, dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, Washington Redskins
Posted on 29 December 2011. Tags: disappointing, dolphins, family, Jason Taylor, mind, nfl, organization, season, super-bowl, wife
Linebacker Jason Taylor walked across the locker room brushing his teeth, then ducked into the equipment room to rinse and spit. Minutes later he tried to muster a smile for a cluster of TV cameras.
It was time to call it quits.
The NFL’s active sacks leader said he’ll retire after this season, his 15th in the NFL and his 13th with the Miami Dolphins. Taylor has contemplated retirement in years past only to be lured back, but now he insists his mind’s made up.
“Sunday’s my last game,” he said. “I might even change my cell phone number so they can’t reach me.”
The 37-year-old Taylor, who made the announcement following practice Wednesday, ranks sixth all-time with 139½ sacks. He has six fumble returns for touchdowns, an NFL record.
He’ll conclude his career Sunday against the New York Jets. It’ll be his 204th game with the Dolphins, which ranks second to Dan Marino’s 242.
“His contributions on the field as one of the greatest players in team history will be remembered by Dolphins fans for years to come,” owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “He will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family.”
Taylor has had three stints with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the third round in 1997. He also played for the Redskins in 2008 and the Jets in 2010.
“In my opinion, that’s a no-brainer Hall of Fame player,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected the team so positively. I’m proud that I had a chance to coach him.”
Taylor helped the Jets reached the AFC championship game. He never made it to the Super Bowl, and his final playoff game with the Dolphins was way back in 2001.
“If there was one regret I have as an athlete, it’s that I didn’t get a chance to bring a championship to Miami,” he said.
Taylor said his wife was surprised he’s hanging it up. But the Dolphins (5-10) are nearing the end of another disappointing season and about to embark on a coaching search, which influenced his decision.
“The last few weeks I thought about it more,” he said. “It has been a tough year. This organization is going to make some changes. This is the right time for me to go and allow this organization to grow and improve.”
Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times, spending much of his career at end before switching to linebacker. He has been used mostly in passing situations this season and has seven sacks this season, which ranks second on the team.
“He’s a great leader, a great ambassador for the city of Miami, and a great player in this league,” teammate Jake Long said. “He’ll definitely be missed.”
His best season was in 2006, when he was chosen NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That season he had 13½ sacks, forced 10 fumbles and returned two interceptions for scores.
Taylor has scored nine touchdowns, the most by any player whose primary position was the defensive line and who entered the league after 1970. He has four safeties, which ties him for fourth in NFL history. Taylor holds a Dolphins record with 27 fumble recoveries.
He has been honored many times for his work in the community, and his South Florida foundation has contributed more than $2 million in grants and services to help children.
“He’s a tremendous role model,” teammate Kendall Langford said. “He is always giving, giving, giving.”
The foundation will help keep Taylor busy in retirement. He has also dabbled in acting, and earned runner-up honors on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” in 2008.
“I look forward to the future. There are a few irons in the fire,” Taylor said. “Nothing is going to replace professional football. You can’t find it on the golf course or anywhere. There’s no place like an NFL locker room. Those guys become your family for seven months of the year. You won’t replace that. But I’ll find something else.”
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Posted in dolphins-news, Jake Long, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Rex Ryan
Posted on 28 December 2011. Tags: career, defensive, dolphins, Jason Taylor, life, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, nfl, personal, taylor, team, time
DAVIE—
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor began by saying the moment was unfortunate.
He then quickly corrected himself.
He considered Wednesday’s retirement announcement as a fortunate day in his personal life. After 15 seasons, 13 with the Dolphins, Taylor will play his final game Sunday against the New York Jets at Sun Life Stadium.
“This will be my last game as a Miami Dolphin as a professional football player,” Taylor said. “I look forward to enjoying this week and soaking it all in for the next few days. We have a game left to play. There will be time for thank yous and goodbyes. This is not the time for that.”
Taylor will end his career against the team he played for during the 2010 season. He spent another year with the Washington Redskins, but will always be remembered for his days with the Dolphins. He recorded most of his success in Miami, where he put up numbers worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
“In my opinion, that’s a no-brainer Hall of Fame player,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “What a guy. He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected the team so positively.”
Taylor ranks sixth in NFL history with 139.5 sacks. The league began counting the statistic in 1982. His 131 sacks with the Dolphins are the most in franchise history. Taylor was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
He said he made the decision after consulting with friends, including former Dolphins teammates and brother-in-law Zach Thomas.
“I figured out this was the right move to make, the right time to do it,” Taylor said. “It’s been a tough year, unfortunately. We’ve had some good times, we’ve had a lot of bad times, too.”
Taylor said the lone regret of his career was never winning a championship with the Dolphins. Team owner Stephen Ross released a statement saying Taylor “will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family.”
“We congratulate him for all he has done and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as he begins the next chapter in his life,” Ross said.
Taylor compared his locker-room experiences with the Dolphins as a fraternity. He spent many days playing dominoes with teammates after practice, building a friendly rivalry with receiver Brandon Marshall.
Marshall jokingly said he let Taylor win a game Wednesday so that “he’s going out a winner.”
“I played dominoes with the guy every day,” Marshall said. “There are only a few guys that have that fire that loves to compete that hates to lose. The thing I noticed about J.T. when we’re playing dominoes is that it doesn’t matter, it’s a friendly game, there’s nothing on the line but he hates to lose.”
Taylor said his future plans are unknown, but they won’t involve returning to football.
“I’m not even going to leave the door open for any of that stuff,” Taylor said. “I might even change my cell phone number so they can’t get me.”
Feel free to leave your comments below.
Posted in Brandon Marshall, dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, Washington Redskins
Posted on 28 December 2011. Tags: dolphins, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, nfl, personal, Rex Ryan, taylor, team
DAVIE—
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor began by saying the moment was unfortunate.
He then quickly corrected himself.
He considered Wednesday’s retirement announcement as a fortunate day in his personal life. After 15 seasons, 13 with the Dolphins, Taylor will play his final game Sunday against the New York Jets at Sun Life Stadium.
“This will be my last game as a Miami Dolphin as a professional football player,” Taylor said. “I look forward to enjoying this week and soaking it all in for the next few days. We have a game left to play. There will be time for thank yous and goodbyes. This is not the time for that.”
Taylor will end his career against the team he played for during the 2010 season. He spent another year with the Washington Redskins, but will always be remembered for his days with the Dolphins. He recorded most of his success in Miami, where he put up numbers worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
“In my opinion, that’s a no-brainer Hall of Fame player,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “What a guy. He was a phenomenal teammate here. We only had him the one year, yet he affected the team so positively.”
Taylor ranks sixth in NFL history with 139.5 sacks. The league began counting the statistic in 1982. His 131 sacks with the Dolphins are the most in franchise history. Taylor was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
He said he made the decision after consulting with friends, including former Dolphins teammates and brother-in-law Zach Thomas.
“I figured out this was the right move to make, the right time to do it,” Taylor said. “It’s been a tough year, unfortunately. We’ve had some good times, we’ve had a lot of bad times, too.”
Taylor said the lone regret of his career was never winning a championship with the Dolphins. Team owner Stephen Ross released a statement saying Taylor “will always remain an integral part of the Dolphin family.”
“We congratulate him for all he has done and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as he begins the next chapter in his life,” Ross said.
Taylor compared his locker-room experiences with the Dolphins as a fraternity. He spent many days playing dominoes with teammates after practice, building a friendly rivalry with receiver Brandon Marshall.
Marshall jokingly said he let Taylor win a game Wednesday so that “he’s going out a winner.”
“I played dominoes with the guy every day,” Marshall said. “There are only a few guys that have that fire that loves to compete that hates to lose. The thing I noticed about J.T. when we’re playing dominoes is that it doesn’t matter, it’s a friendly game, there’s nothing on the line but he hates to lose.”
Taylor said his future plans are unknown, but they won’t involve returning to football.
“I’m not even going to leave the door open for any of that stuff,” Taylor said. “I might even change my cell phone number so they can’t get me.”
Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.
Posted in Brandon Marshall, dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, Washington Redskins
Posted on 24 December 2011. Tags: brady, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, dolphins, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, mistakes, moore, New England Patriots, patriots, receiver-brian, season, Tom Brady, Wes Welker
FOXBOROUGH, MASS.—
A common word thrown around the Miami Dolphins’ locker room this season has been “winnable.” That’s what happens when a team piles up defeats in games they probably should have won. The latest example was Saturday’s 27-24 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
The Dolphins blew a 17-point, halftime lead, creating an all too familiar post-game mood. The Patriots, meanwhile, clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs.
“We didn’t finish,” linebacker Jason Taylor said. “They made a lot of plays in the second half. We made a lot of mistakes, missed some tackles
I think it was a very winnable game for us. When you play against a quality opponent, you can’t make some of the mistakes that we made.”
The Dolphins (5-10) have now lost five games by three points or less. This one was probably the toughest to stomach because at one point they were dominating perhaps the AFC’s best team. Miami was so in control it had the New England crowd of 68,756 booing beloved quarterback Tom Brady in the first half.
Then Brady began playing like Brady.
After enduring his worst half of the season, he completed 20 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Brady then connected with Wes Welker for a six-yard pass on 3rd-and-5 on the final drive to close out the Dolphins.
“That’s what everybody across the world knows,” cornerback Vontae Davis said. “Tom Brady, that’s what he’s capable of
That’s Tom Brady. He’s an elite quarterback in this league. You can stop him three quarters. You give him the fourth quarter to comeback, he’s gonna come back.”
Brady, who finished 27 of 46 for 304 yards, did most of the damage after New England switched to a no-huddle offense in the third quarter. It eliminated the pressure the Dolphins were able to get on Brady in the first half.
That helped the Dolphins force the Patriots (12-3) into three-and-outs on three consecutive possessions. The halftime adjustments were evident, with New England gaining 293 yards in the second half. Welker had 12 receptions for 138 yards.
“We knew halftime would be 0-0,” interim coach Todd Bowles said. “We knew these guys would come back out and fight. We got back out and we fought. We just didn’t play smart. They made the plays, we didn’t.”
After kicker Stephen Gostkowski got New England on the scoreboard with a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter, the unraveling of the Dolphins began.
Quarterback Matt Moore fumbled on the next possession, giving the Patriots the ball at the 38. Brady then hit Deion Branch on a one-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-10 with 7 minutes, 10 seconds left in the quarter.
On the next series, Brady once again took advantage of a short field. The 41-yard drive ended with Brady scoring on a one-yard touchdown run that tied the score.
The Dolphins were on the verge of answering when Moore made perhaps the most costly of his mistakes. Receiver Brian Hartline had beaten Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty on a fly pattern, but Moore’s pass was badly underthrown.
The play resulted in an interception by McCourty at the 2.The Patriots used the opportunity to grab their first lead on a 42-yard field goal by Gostkowski.
“It’s frustrating,” receiver Brandon Marshall said. “But the whole season is frustrating. We got a lot of heart in this locker room but unfortunately sometimes we’ve just got to make plays. We’ve got one more game left and we’re going to go out there and try to win it.”
Scoring plays
Patriots 27, Dolphins 24
Scoring play: Davone Bess catches a 15-yard pass from Matt Moore as the Dolphins claw back to within three; Dan Carpenter kicks the PAT
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Posted in Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Dan Carpenter, Davone Bess, dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Vontae Davis, Wes Welker
Posted on 23 December 2011. Tags: Aaron Rodgers, article, career, dolphins, follow-charles, green, Green Bay Packers, Jason Taylor, larry-little, Miami Dolphins, network, nfl, year
From Bob Griese to Dan Marino and Larry Little to Jason Taylor, the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins have been graced with some of the greatest players in NFL history.
In spite of their regrettable decline in the 21st century, the Fins were once considered among the best professional sports teams ever assembled. The 1972 Dolphins, in particular, still hold the distinction of being the only team to ever go undefeated throughout the regular season and playoffs, and due to the spectacular quarterbacking of Dan Marino, the Dolphins competed admirably for another fifteen years. All the while, the organization served as breeding grounds for some of the NFL’s top performers.
Below you will find five of these Miami Dolphins legends, ranked in order of career impact:
5. Zach Thomas
* 7-time Pro Bowl selection
* 5-time First Team All-Pro
* 2-time NFL Linebacker of the Year
* NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
4. Larry Little
* Ranked the 79th greatest NFL player of all time by The Sporting News
* Inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993
* 2-time Super Bowl champion
* 5-time Pro Bowl selection
* 5-time First Team All-Pro
3. Bob Griese
* Inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990
* 2-time Super Bowl champion
* 8-time Pro Bowl selection
* 1977 NFL leader in TDs, TD% and QB rating
2. Jason Taylor
* 6-time Pro Bowl selection
* 3-time First Team All-Pro
* 2-time AFC Defensive Player of the Year
* 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
* 2002 Sacks Leader
* 6th All Time , Career Sacks
1. Dan Marino
* Ranked as the 25th greatest player all time by the NFL
* 1984 NFL MVP
* 9-time Pro Bowl selection
* 1st All Time, Career Game-Winning Drives
* 2nd All Time, Career Passing Yards
* 2nd All Time, Career Passing TDs
* 2nd All Time, Career Total Offense
More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:
Top Five Fastest Players in the NFL
Top Four Reasons the Green Bay Packers will not repeat as Super Bowl champions
Aaron Rodgers on pace for the greatest season in NFL history
Miami Dolphins football in danger of fading into obscurity
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Posted in Aaron Rodgers, dolphins-news, Green Bay Packers, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins
Posted on 23 December 2011. Tags: dolphins, family, gift, Jason Taylor, mind, odrick, opinion, paterno, peace, personal, Tom Brady, victims
Jared Odrick posted on his Twitter account Wednesday that he and his Dolphins defensive line mates “made out like fat rats” in their recent holiday gift exchange.
Odrick posted photos of a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac and a home theater system he received in the exchange. The truth is, the gift Odrick is most thankful for this Christmas is his health.
After missing all but one game last season to a broken left foot and fractured fibula, the 6-5, 304-pound, first-round pick out of Penn State in 2010 has become a valuable pass rusher for the Dolphins, posting five sacks (third-most on the team) and cracking the starting lineup six times.
With two games left in what really has been his rookie season, Odrick said he has learned a lot about resiliency this year after the Dolphins’ 0-7 start. And that’s a message he hopes to carry with him when he meets with his former college coach, Joe Paterno, shortly after the season.
Paterno, who turned 85 on Wednesday, is battling what his family has called a treatable form of lung cancer. Odrick said he has been eager to speak with Paterno since he was fired last month amid the sex-abuse scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky, and is hoping to visit Paterno in his home.
“I said my peace [last month] on Twitter that it’s unfortunate Joe had to go out that way and I got flak about it,” Odrick said. “But the thing is, I’ve had a wonderful relationship with him and all the coaches I was coached by. I didn’t have a relationship with the man who created all that havoc over there.
“It’s just sad to see someone you know as a friend, as a coach and as such a figure in your personal life that things have to come to an end that way. That’s all I was saying in my statements. I was sad. But at the same time, I do feel horrible about what happened to the victims.”
Appreciative
Odrick said he has come to appreciate Paterno even more now that he’s no longer playing for him. Odrick said the life lessons he learned from Paterno — team-first concepts and tradition — have stuck with him.
“The crazy thing is, people think you have to remind him who you are. He sees you, he remembers your name, remembers what you did,” Odrick said. “He loves all his former players. He stood for a lot. You only realize that when you’re gone.”
Dolphins outside linebacker Cameron Wake, who also played at Penn State, isn’t sure what Paterno would think of Odrick’s sack celebration, the Pee-Wee Herman dance. But the Dolphins’ sack leader — much like veteran Jason Taylor — hates it.
“Other than that one glaring negative — that dance — he’s a good guy,” Wake said.
“The thing about it is, it’s third-and-10, you blow past a 300-pound man, you smash the quarterback and now you get up and do something soft like play patty cake? Do something aggressive — that’s my opinion. That dance would never crawl into my mind.”
Wake, though, is happy to get the contributions from Odrick that come before the dance. Safety Yeremiah Bell said Odrick is “an energy player” for the Dolphins and “you can tell how happy he is to be on the field.” Like Taylor and himself, Bell said he can see Odrick finding a spot on the Dolphins’ defense for many years to come.
‘having fun’
Heading into Saturday’s game at New England, Odrick ranks 17th according to ProFootballFocus.com among 3-4 defensive ends in the league with a 2.7 overall rating. That’s second on the team behind Randy Starks (eighth, 8.8) and ahead of Kendall Langford (21st, -0.1).
“People really have no idea how frustrated I was last year,” said Odrick, who intercepted a deflected pass by Tom Brady and returned it 39 yards the first time the Dolphins faced the Patriots this season.
“It was frustrating because I felt I had so much to give and it was all bottled in. I guess this year has been a relief in that I’m on the field, I’m playing football again and having fun with my teammates and I’m playing well enough where I’m making an impact on the game.”
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Posted in dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Randy Starks, Tom Brady
Posted on 18 December 2011. Tags: buffalo, dolphins, Jake Long, Jason Taylor, John Jerry, Koa Misi, nfl, past, starting-strong, steve-slaton
Three time Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long will miss his first NFL start.
Miami Dolphins left tackle Jake Long will miss his first NFL game against the Bills.
Long, whom the Miami Dolphins selected first overall in 2008, prides himself on his iron man reputation. He’s started 61 straight games for the Dolphins, but the back injury he suffered in last Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Eagles won’t allow him to play in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Nate Garner replaced Long last week against the Eagles, but it’s reserve guard John Jerry who will start for Long.
Jerry, who has played much better in the past two games, practiced with the starters all last season. But he’s never played left tackle in a game.
The Dolphins, which allowed nine sacks last week without Long, better have a good game plan because starting quarterback Matt Moore, who suffered a concussion last week, expects to start his 10th game of the season.
Moore practiced for the past three days after passing his baseline test, and has been cleared by the NFL to be active for Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff. It’s possible the Dolphins will use plenty of two tight end sets to provide extra protection.
Also inactive for the Dolphins is starting strong side linebacker Koa Misi, who is sidelined by a shoulder injury. Jason Taylor will likely start in his place and its possible Jason Trusnik or Ikaika Alama-Francis will inherit a larger role.
Alama-Francis is active for the third time today.
Will Yeatman will play in his first NFL game, replacing Jeron Mastrud on the active list.
Tailback Steve Slaton, defensive end Ryan Baker, and offensive linemen Ray Feinga and Will Barker are also inactive.
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Posted in dolphins-news, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Jake Long, Jason Taylor, John Jerry, Koa Misi, Miami Dolphins, Ryan Baker
Posted on 18 December 2011. Tags: attention, beach-post, division, eagles, general-manager, goals, Jake Long, Jason Taylor, michael-strahan, record, Ronnie Brown, season, team, three-games
Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post
Through 13 games, Reggie Bush has a career-high 770 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry. He needs to average 76.7 yards over his last three games to reach 1,000 for the season.
By Ben Volin
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DAVIE —
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross officially gave up on this season after firing
coach Tony Sparano on Monday after his team dropped to 4-9. The focus now
for Ross, General Manager Jeff Ireland and Dolphins fans for the final three
weeks of 2011 is on finding next year’s head coach.
But the Dolphins still have three games left to play, starting today at
Buffalo, and a few milestones to achieve. A look at five things the Dolphins
still have to play for:
1. Reggie Bush’s quest for 1,000 yards.
If the notion of Bush being an every-down running back seemed like a
ridiculous idea in pre-season – he missed 20 games because of injuries in
the previous four seasons, and averaged just eight carries per game – the
thought of him rushing for 1,000 yards was even more absurd. And six games
into this season, he had totaled just 232 rushing yards on 3.9 yards per
carry.
But Bush has proven everyone wrong during the past seven weeks. He enters
today’s game with a career-high 770 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry,
and needs 230 yards in his final three games (76.7 yards per game) to reach
1,000.
Bush, who has rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back weeks, said he isn’t
focused on individual milestones. But his offensive linemen want to make it
happen.
The Dolphins have had just two 1,000-yard rushers since 2004 – Ronnie Brown
(1,008 in 2006) and Ricky Williams (1,121 in 2009).
“It’s out there, it’s a goal, and it’s something to keep us motivated for
the last three weeks,” left guard Richie Incognito said.
2. Milestones for Brandon Marshall and Jason Taylor.
Most of the attention on Marshall this season has been on his dropped
touchdowns (at least five) and his battle with Borderline Personality
Disorder. But he enters today’s game just 63 yards short of his fifth
consecutive 1,000-yard season, giving him the chance to be the first
Dolphins receiver with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Irving Fryar
did it in 1993-94.
Marshall also is averaging 14.0 yards per catch, his highest average since
becoming a full-time starter with the Broncos in 2007.
Taylor, who has six sacks this season, is steadily climbing up the all-time
sack list. With three games remaining (perhaps in his career), Taylor has
138.5 sacks, three behind Michael Strahan for fifth in NFL history. Taylor
had two sacks last week against the Eagles, passing Richard Dent for sixth
on the all-time list.
3. Setting team record for “big plays.”
Ross’ demand this year was for a more exciting offense, and believe it or not,
the Dolphins have delivered.
The Dolphins have connected on 30 passing plays of 25-plus yards this season,
good for sixth-best in the NFL. It’s also just 10 short of the team record
of 40, set in 1993.
The Dolphins average 2.3 such passes per game, so the team record is within
sight.
4. Avoiding team record for sacks allowed.
Not all of the milestones the Dolphins could reach this year are positive ones.
The Dolphins have allowed a whopping 44 sacks this season, second-most in the
NFL and nine short of the team-record (53, set in 1969). They will tie the
record by allowing three sacks in each of their final three games, and have
already allowed three sacks in a game eight times this season.
In fact, they could tie the record today. The Dolphins allowed nine sacks to
the Eagles last week, and may be playing without left tackle Jake Long (back
injury).
5. Messing up the AFC East race.
The Dolphins play three familiar opponents to close out the season – the
Bills, Patriots and Jets, all AFC East rivals.
The Dolphins may not be in the playoff hunt, but they’ll have their say in the
matter.
“It presents an opportunity to mess things up in this division, and help
ourselves one week at a time,” former coach Tony Sparano said on Monday
before being fired.
The Patriots have a two-game lead for the division crown, while the Jets hold
the sixth AFC playoff spot. But neither will clinch their goals until they
have to go through Miami.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
Posted in Brandon Marshall, dolphins-news, Jake Long, Jason Taylor, Richie Incognito, Ronnie Brown, Tony Sparano
Posted on 18 December 2011. Tags: bills, buffalo, bulletin, dolphins, field, film, Jason Taylor, little-feeling, locker, motivation, nfl, people, stevie-johnson, tyrone-culver, yeremiah-bell
By DAVID J. NEAL The Miami Herald
Dolphins vs. Bills used to mean serious dislike. Buffalo steamed for years over the Dolphins running the Bills’ table for the 1970s. And Buffalo so tormented the Dolphins from 1989 to ’96 that then-Dolphins player, now-Dolphins coach Bryan Cox letting his birds fly at the Buffalo crowd in 1993 comes off now as coarse summary commentary.
As the franchises slog through playoff-less years, what once stood as a signature AFC rivalry has languished in The Era of Little Feeling … perhaps until Sunday’s contest in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Though there’s all of nine wins between the teams once again headed for nowhere, it’s unlikely there will be a just-playing-it-out feel to the game.
Buffalo accused Miami of taking liberties with its NFL guests during the Dolphins’ 35-8 Bills blasting last month. While that is debatable, it’s not debatable that Dolphins strong safety Yeremiah Bell delivered the unkindest analysis after the game.
Bell said the Bills “laid down” after the Dolphins started putting the hurt on Buffalo on the scoreboard and on the field. Reminded of his November comments last week, Bell stayed with them.
“I think when they watched the film, they knew it, too,” Bell said.
“Now it’s time for Round Two. I like to talk noise; if that gets them riled up, then I’m all for it. Bryan Cox is loving it.”
Last week, several Bills mentioned the “laid down” line.
“You know, it started a little fire in me,” Stevie Johnson told Buffalo reporters.
“Hopefully, it did with the people around me. So I’m looking forward to playing this game and coming out with an attitude. It’s not like we don’t come out with an attitude, but a little bit more just for what was said.”
That’s the 25-year-old Johnson, in his fourth NFL season. This is 37-year-old Dolphins veteran outside linebacker Jason Taylor:
“I’m not real big on the bulletin-board stuff,” Taylor said. “People could say bad things about us if we didn’t play very well. Then you can say bad things about us. I’m not going to post it on my locker. I’m not going to post it on the bulletin board and say, ‘Hey, let’s go win because they said this.’ If that’s the motivation for them, then great. Ours is different.
“We played pretty well the first game. We won by a good margin. Whatever was said before, during or after the game, oh well,” he continued. “To me, it has no bearing on what we’re going to do Sunday and what they’re going to do Sunday. But if they want to get hyped up and run the locker room because somebody said something derogatory about them, then that’s fine. I’m cool with that. But if I hung up everything bad that somebody said about us, boy, there would be no more wall space in this locker room.”
Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles downplayed the whole kerfuffle.
“We got a few breaks early, and we got up a little bit, and I guess we haven’t won too many games at that point and [a] couple of guys said some things,” Bowles said. “I don’t think that’s a big deal one way or the other as far as we’re concerned or probably they are concerned.”
On the field, Buffalo didn’t appreciate some of the shots the Dolphins delivered, including some helmet-popping hits.
The NFL agreed in one case, fining Dolphins safety Tyrone Culver for dough-popping Johnson.
Those kinds of hits used to be common in the NFL. So was healthy anger in Dolphins vs. Bills.
Leave any suggestions in the comment box.
Posted in dolphins-news, Jason Taylor
Posted on 09 December 2011. Tags: beach, dolphins, games, Jason Taylor, Michael Vick, patrick-surtain, philadelphia, Richie Incognito, stadium-atlanta, virginia, Vontae Davis, week
By Brian Biggane
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DAVIE — While Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis has never faced Michael Vick on a football field, he has encountered him in a video game.
“I used to play him in ‘Madden.’ He was the same as he is in real life. Just crazy talented,” Davis said Friday.
Sunday, Davis and his teammates will face the Philadelphia quarterback at Sun Life Stadium. Vick has played Miami only twice, both while with Atlanta, in 2001 and 2005. The teams split the games but Vick made an impact, and an impression, in both.
Jason Taylor faced Vick in the two games and was asked what he has to remind himself about stopping him.
“Don’t get frustrated,” Taylor said. “Don’t get embarrassed. He’s going to make you (look) dumb at some point.
“He’s going to make a move; he’s that kind of athlete. I know he’s a little banged up, and doesn’t want to take hits apparently, but at the end of the day Mike is going to be Mike.”
The first game was 10 years ago this month when Vick was a rookie out of Virginia Tech.
He had spent most of his first season as a backup to Chris Chandler, and the Dolphins spent the week of preparation hoping they wouldn’t have to face him.
“We were joking during the week, saying, ‘If you sack Chris Chandler, help him up, because we don’t want Michael Vick in there,’” cornerback Patrick Surtain said after Miami’s 21-14 victory.
Sure enough, Chandler injured his elbow and Vick came on, hitting 11 of 20 passes for 214 yards and running for another 63 in less than three quarters.
“He’s a freak of nature,” gushed cornerback Sam Madison at the time. “It’s hard to contain a guy of his caliber.”
Vick avenged that loss four years later, going 22-of-31 for 238 yards and a touchdown in a 17-10 victory at Sun Life Stadium. Atlanta dominated the game, putting together four drives of 70-plus yards, notching a season-high 27 first downs and holding the ball for more than 36 minutes.
“All we talked about all week was Michael Vick – that tells you how good he is,” linebacker Zach Thomas said afterward.
“People say I can’t throw from the pocket,” Vick said back then. “I had to show them.”
After missing the 2007 and ’08 seasons while serving prison time for his part in a dog-fighting ring, Vick is now 31 and in his ninth NFL season – six with Atlanta, three with Philadelphia.
Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who hasn’t faced Vick since the quarterback was in Atlanta, said he has seen his game mature.
“I was watching a game this morning, watching him in the pocket, the way he threw the ball, watching him slide and not look to run first,” Sparano said.
“Back when I faced him, he rushed the ball for 130-some yards against us. He has that capability still, but that being said, you see the way he moves in the pocket now, the way the ball is coming out. That looked to me like a quarterback who has evolved and matured.”
Vick said this week he has made a “pact with myself” to protect himself from injuries that have sidelined him for 10 games in his three years with the Eagles. The Dolphins are skeptical and know they need to contain him.
Davis, meanwhile, said Miami welcomes the challenge posed by Vick and an offense ranked third overall, second in rushing and 10th in passing.
“You’ve got to respect your opponent, but you can’t say ‘Vick is that good, we can’t beat him,’ ” Davis said. “We’ll find a way to stop him.”
Noteworthy: Cameron Wake was fined $15,000 for striking Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer in the head/neck area in last Sunday’s game, while Richie Incognito was fined $7,500 for hitting an opponent after the whistle. Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who was ejected from the game for punching Incognito, also drew a $30,000 fine. … The Dolphins listed guard Vernon Carey (ankle) and safety Yeremiah Bell (foot) as probable for Sunday on their final injury report while the Eagles listed cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle) as questionable and 10 players, including Vick, defensive end Trent Cole (hand) and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (hamstring/shoulder) as probable.
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Posted in Carson Palmer, dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Michael Vick, Richie Incognito, Tony Sparano, Vernon Carey, Vontae Davis
Posted on 08 December 2011. Tags: dolphins, eagles, games, Jason Taylor, meetings, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, philadelphia, seahawks, team, underachieving
While the underachieving Philadelphia Eagles are again floundering, the
last-place Miami Dolphins continue to flourish.
The Eagles look to avoid a third consecutive loss Sunday when they face an
improved Dolphins team trying for a fourth straight home victory.
A popular Super Bowl preseason pick, Philadelphia (4-8) is one defeat away
from guaranteeing only its second losing record since 2000. Though the Eagles
have dropped four of five since winning two straight to conclude October, they
still have a slim shot to win the mediocre NFC East.
For that to happen, however, Philadelphia needs to win its last four games
while first-place Dallas must lose three of four and the New York Giants drop
two of four.
“We definitely know the circumstances,” receiver Jason Avant(notes) said. “We need
a lot of stuff to happen, but the only thing we can do to control us is go out
and put a good performance this week, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Quarterback Michael Vick(notes) will be back leading the charge after missing the
last three games with two broken ribs.
“I’ll definitely be out there,” said Vick, who has lost eight of his last 11
starts with the Eagles. “I feel like I’ve got to be accountable for my team. I
want to be there. It’s a desperation last four games. It’s unfortunate that
we’re in the situation that we’re in now, but there’s nothing we can do about
it.”
What Vick must do is help the Eagles take better care of the ball.
Philadelphia has turned it over an NFL-high 29 times, including four on
interceptions from backup Vince Young(notes) in last Thursday’s 31-14 loss at Seattle.
The Seahawks returned one of those picks 55 yards to set up a touchdown and
another 77 yards for a score.
LeSean McCoy(notes), however, had no trouble hanging on to the ball, scoring TDs
via the ground and air against the Seahawks. The NFC’s leading rusher with 1,134
yards, McCoy is first in the NFL with 15 scrimmage touchdowns – the second-most
in franchise history behind Steve Van Buren’s 17 in 1945.
The Eagles are facing the Dolphins (4-8) for the first time since beating
them 17-7 at home in 2007, and they’ve won three of the last four meetings.
However, they are well aware of Miami’s recent improvement.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game because they have a very good
football team and a very good defense so we’re going to have to do the things
that are going to put us in a position to win the game,” Vick said.
Since starting 0-7, the Dolphins have outscored their opponents 139-54 while
winning four of five.
“We’re having fun,” said linebacker Kevin Burnett(notes), who returned an
interception 34 yards for a TD in last Sunday’s 34-14 win over Oakland. “I can’t
explain how much that takes away the pain and the feeling of being on the losing
end of the spectrum.”
Though coach Tony Sparano’s future with the team remains cloudy, the
Dolphins continue to play with confidence. Their last four wins have come by an
average of 21.5 points and they’ve forced seven turnovers during the last four
contests overall.
“Our whole demeanor is changed,” defensive end Jason Taylor(notes) said. “Our
swagger has changed. This team is a lot looser now and not playing uptight, not
preparing uptight, not acting uptight. And that shows on Sunday.”
Matt Moore(notes) has completed 64.3 percent of his passes while throwing for eight
touchdowns and one interception over the last five games.
Teammate Reggie Bush(notes) topped the 100-yard mark for the second time this
season when he ran for 100 and a TD on 22 carries against the Raiders.
Bush, who has a career-high 667 rushing yards, has 111 and two TDs on 33
rushes in three games – including the playoffs – versus Philadelphia.
Not much else going on in the NFL world today.
Posted in dolphins-news, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Michael Vick, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Tony Sparano
