Mike Wallace

Three wishes for the 2013 NFL Draft

Published April 18, 2013 | By Michael Miller

Ahhhh, spring is in the air. While my fellow Floridians would argue it feels more like summer (because it does), one very important thing has to happen for Dolfans before we can mentally concede that summer is truly approaching: the NFL Draft.

Every die hard NFL fan has Thursday April 25th, 2013 circled on their calendar, and will be hitting their TV/computer/tablet/smart phone/all of the above no later than 8 PM sharp. The NFL Draft brings out Armchair GMs in droves, gleefully postulating “Mock Drafts” by the dozens.

Our very own FinNation.com Message Board forum has an annual contest that is scored and open to all. The predictions are not only entertaining, but informative and occasionally clairvoyant. Unlike some devout fans, I don’t have the time to truly research the droves of draftees. So rather than hobble together an unworthy mock draft, I’ll content myself with being a mere Armchair QB, apply elbow grease to the genie bottle, and offer up three general wishes for the upcoming draft that is still one oh-so-long week away.

Am I the only one who hateshowthe Draft starts Continue reading →

Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Posted in Mike Miller | Tagged Branden Albert, Brandon Gibson, Dustin Keller, Jeff Ireland, Jonathan Martin, miami dolphins, Mike Wallace, NFL Draft, Ryan Tannehill, Tyler Eifert | 3 Comments

Moving on Up?

Published April 17, 2013 | By James Lancaster

Ok Fin fans….before you read this, take a deep breath. Prepare yourself because if I had to guess, I’d say that the Miami Dolphins will be looking to grab an offensive tackle with their first round pick.

Not only that, but they will also be trading UP into the top 5 to get one. But I don’t think it will be for Lane Johnson.

Call it a hunch….a guess. Just my gut feeling on what the Fins plan on doing. And honestly, I’m ok with it. Not ecstatic, but not angry either. I understand the line of reasoning behind it.

Now before you try to get me committed, let’s think about this for a minute. What are Miami’s 3 biggest needs? I would say OT, CB, and TE.

Once you get past the top 3 OTs in Joeckel, Fisher, and Johnson, the talent level drops considerably. Yet the draft is stocked full of talent at the CB and TE positions. Hell, the talent there is deep into the 3rd round at both positions. And at DE, there are not any guys I like enough totradeupforoutside Continue reading →

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Posted in James Lancaster, NFL Draft | Tagged Brian Hartline, eric fisher, Lane Johnson, Mike Wallace, Tyler Eifert, Xavier Rhodes | 1 Comment

Cap hits: will Miami be in salary cap hell in 2014?

Published March 18, 2013 | By Michael Miller

Miami is seemingly set with salary cap next year.

So, last week Jeff Ireland dramatically changed the Dolphins roster with a handful of key moves. Gone are veteran leaders Jake Long, Reggie Bush, Sean Smith, Karlos Dansby, and Kevin Burnett. In comes Dannell Ellerbe, Philip Wheeler, Dustin Keller, and crown jewel Mike Wallace.

Most noted in the additions is the very low 2013 cap hits they have, very quickly followed with how large of a 2014 cap hit they have (such as Wallace’s $15 mil base salary).

I’ve seen numerous fans worrying that Miami will be in salary cap hell as a result of these deals. Rather than wonder and worry, I decided to look into it for all you die hard Phin fans who are just as worried about the future of this franchise as you are 2013.

First, we have to take into account that the 2013 cap is $123 million before carry over (teams are allowed to carry over unused cap space if they choose to). 2014 should be at least that much if not more.

Second, who isMiami Continue reading →

Rating: 4.5/5 (8 votes cast)

Posted in Dolphins News, Mike Miller | Tagged Brandon Gibson, Chris Clemons, Dannell Ellerbe, Jeff Ireland, Mike Wallace | Leave a comment

Cap hits: details of Mike Wallace contract released

Published March 14, 2013 | By Michael Miller

Sportrac has published the details of Mike Wallace’s deal. Here’s the nitty gritty:

5 year $60 million with only an $11 million signing bonus.

The good news: 2013 base salary is a mere $1 mil, meaning his cap hit is way lower than initially projected: a meager $3.2 mil. This means Miami has about $4 mil more to spend in 2013 than previously projected.

The bad news: his 2014 base salary is a whooping $15 mil, for a $17.2 mil cap hit. Wow.

His 2015 base salary drops to $9.85 mil, and in 2016 and 2017 is $11.45 mil (add $2.2 mil in prorated signing bonus to get the cap hit).

Only 2013 and 2014 salaries are guaranteed. An additional $3 mil is guaranteed for injury. Here’s where it gets interesting: the 2015 salary guaranteed on the 5th day of the 2014 league year. Miami is on the hook for the $15 mil in 2014, so they sure aren’t going to cut him, meaning this is a guaranteed 3 year deal.

UPDATE: Ben Volin tweeted that only $3 mil of the 2015 deal is guaranteed in 2014,which Continue reading →

Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Posted in Dolphins News | Tagged Mike Wallace | 1 Comment

Cap hits: how much money do the Dolphins have left to spend?

Published March 14, 2013 | By Michael Miller

So, the Dolphins have made a number of free agency moves and continue to remain in the market by pursuing former Jets TE Dustin Keller and former Chiefs RT Eric Winston. The Dolphins could also potentially use a CB. With all the moves Miami has made, how much cap space do they continue to have to sign additional players?

Earlier reports estimated that the Dolphins had as much as $46 mil in cap space. Lets estimate how much 2013 cap space remains:

DT Randy Starks franchise tagged $8.45 mil ($37.55 space)
WR Mike Wallace estimated $7 mil ($30.55 mil space)
S Chris Clemons $2.75 mil (27.8)
QB Matt Moore $2.5 mil ($25.3)
LB Dannell Ellerbe $2.4 mil ($22.9)
LB Philip Wheeler $2.4 mil (20.5)
WR Brian Hartline: $2.115 mil ($18.385)
LB Austin Spitler RFA tender $1.323 mil ($17.062 space)
CB R.J. Stanford RFA tender $630k (16.432 space)
QB Pat Devlin RFA tender $480k ($15.952 space)

Miami released LB Karlos Dansby and LB Kevin Burnett but designated them as “June 1st cuts”, meaning Miami won’t realize any cap savings until June 1. Read my article http://finnation.com/cap-implications-dansby-burnett-classified-june-1st-cuts/ for the particulars. Ben Volin has a great Continue reading →

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

Posted in Dolphins News, Mike Miller | Tagged Brian Hartline, Chris Clemons, Dannell Ellerbe, Matt Moore, Mike Wallace, Phillip Wheeler, Randy Starks | Leave a comment

Three wishes for the 2013 NFL Draft

Moving on Up?

Cap hits: will Miami be in salary cap hell in 2014?

Cap hits: details of Mike Wallace contract released

Cap hits: how much money do the Dolphins have left to spend?

Mailbag FA Part II

Fins 2013 Draft Final Thoughts Part II

Mailbag – Free Agent Addition

Fins 2013 Draft Final Thoughts Part I

Miami Dolphins – Signed UDFA WR Terrell Sinkfield

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