*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***

---

Feb 23, 1996: -- Randal Hill Signs and Other News.... --

The Dolphins announced yesterday that they have re-signed free agent wide receiver Randal Hill to a one year contract for undisclosed terms. Hill was acquired last summer as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals.

Last season, Hill had 12 receptions for 260 yards and no touchdowns. However, despite his relatively low number of receptions, he did lead the Dolphins in receiving yardage with 21.7 yards per catch.

During his college career at the University of Miami, Hill played on the 1987 National Championship team that was coached by Jimmy Johnson. He came into the league as the first round draft choice of the Dolphins in 1990, but was traded to Arizona for a draft pick before he ever played a down with Miami.

In college, Hill's 4.3 speed earned him the nickname "Thrill" Hill. He caught 107 passes for 1,643 yards and 11 touchdowns during his college career.

In other news, the San Diego Chargers are courting Dolphins transition player Marco Coleman. Coleman journeyed to San Diego earlier this week to work out for them.

The Chargers have said they will try and put together a package for Coleman that the Dolphins can't match, but that they weren't confident they could do that.

The Dolphins' other transition player Troy Vincent has also been making the rounds of some teams interested in hiring him away from the Dolphins. During the past week, Vincent has worked out for both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions have prepared a contract offer for Troy Vincent. The Lions are apparently hot after Vincent and are trying to structure a contract deal that Miami will be unable to match.

The Detroit Free Press further reports that Vincent is interested in becoming a Lion and is ready to leave Miami.

NFL rules on transition players state that Miami will have 7 days to match any offers that Vincent and Coleman may receive from other teams.

My Comments:

I think it's a good move for the Dolphins to re-sign Randal Hill. He didn't put up big numbers last year, but he did show his breakaway speed and his ability to get behind opposing defenses. How many times did Marino underthrow or overthrow Hill during games? Hill and Marino just need to get in sync a little more to create a very dangerous receiving threat.

The news on Coleman is not so bad. Miami probably will be able to match any offer to Coleman that San Diego might make.

The news on Vincent is more disturbing, however. If the Detroit Free Press is to be believed, Vincent is anxious to become a Lion. However, I think you have to take their reporting with a grain of salt. Obviously, it would be a great triumph for the Lions to steal Vincent away and they are bound to put an optimistic spin on the news.

Special thanks are due to Dennis Louney , for his reporting of the news from Detroit. Thanks, Dennis....