Soliaia likely won't get franchise tag
--Don't expect nose tackle Paul Soliai to receive the franchise tag for the second season from the Dolphins. Soliai, who was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2012, will likely become an unrestricted free agent in 2012 because the Dolphins are unwilling to pay him the 20 percent raise he'd receive if franchised for a second season, which would make his 2012 salary in the neighborhood of $15 million.
"I don't get a lot of stats, but we finished third against the run (in 2012) and that's the only number that matters to me," Soliai said, referring to his unit holding opponents to 3.7 yards per carry.
--Former Dolphins and Jets starting quarterback Chad Pennington is finally healthy enough to resume his playing career, but he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he's likely thrown his last NFL pass.
Pennington, who threw for 17,823 yards and 102 touchdowns during his career, plans to continue broadcasting games for FOX Sports instead of attempting his fourth comeback.
"It doesn't make sense for me to come back and try to play," said Pennington, who played two snaps in 2010 before tearing his labrum. "I know I can get healthy. I know I can be ready for training camp and do all those things. But can I take a hit? After four shoulder surgeries, that's a question that's hard to answer right now. That's something that's out of my control. I can control being strong enough, accurate enough, and smart enough. But I can't control not being able to take a hit in the wrong angle."
--What attracted the Dolphins to Joe Philbin was his plan to revitalize the Dolphins' offense, producing a more aggressive offensive approach, one that mimics the Dan Marino era. Ross hopes an aggressive offense will win back the fan base, boosting sagging ticket sales.
"The offenses he took over were so impressive, no matter the level he was at," Ireland said. "His body of work over a long period of time has been impressive. Going undefeated at Harvard, the championship (he won) at Allegheny (College), and his time in Green Bay."
--The Dolphins used a second-round pick to draft Koa Misi in 2010, and despite starting 20 of the 28 games he's played during his first two NFL seasons this former Utah standout has only contributed 5.5 sacks.
"Koa has done a nice job. He's played the Sam linebacker position for us. Koa has got a lot of versatility. I really like the way he's developing. It's unfortunate that he got hurt at the end of the season because I saw some growth in him there late," Ireland said. "We just got to see where he continues to grow. But he's got to get better."
--One of the team's top priorities this offseason is to find a better pass-rushing complement for Cameron Wake, who is losing Jason Taylor, and the seven sacks he provided, to retirement.
"Pressure players are the core to every defense and you can't have enough of those guys," Ireland said. "Look at the New York Giants. They have three or four of those guys who can get after you. You certainly got to find them, put them in the game, and let them go. We've got a few, but not enough."
--The Dolphins haven't hidden the fact their primary goal this offseason is to find a starting quarterback who could outperform Moore. But Ireland is insistent Miami can find that type of quarterback without using an early first-round pick on the position.
"Aaron Rodgers was the 22nd pick in the draft. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick and Tony Romo was a free agent. There are guys out there. We just have to find them," he said. "We need a quarterback that can get us over the hump. There's no doubt about it, but we're going to research that position like every other position."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We're not where we were in 2008 when we turned over 29 players out of the 53. Are we rebuilding? I do not believe so. Are we continuing to build? Yes. We are building. We're going to build around what Joe Philbin's vision is and it's a collaborative effort with what I'm looking for. I like some core pieces to this roster. We'll make changes, but we're trying to put together a championship team." - Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland.
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