*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Feb 22, 1997: -- More Free Agent Updates... --
Free Agents Visit Dolphins
The Dolphins received a visit from some free agents Thursday,
talking to free agent safety George Teague, linebacker Ron George and
wide receiver Brett Perriman. According to the Miami Herald, both
Teague and George were excited about the possibility of signing with
the Dolphins and Teague is reported to have said that it is "probable"
he will be able to strike a deal with the Dolphins.
On the other hand, the Herald is reporting on Saturday that
the Dolphins haven't even started talking about money with Teague or
George's agents yet.
The other free agent to visit, wide receiver Brett Perriman,
played for Jimmy Johnson at the University of Miami and has been a big
play receiver for the Detroit Lions for several years. Last year, he
caught 94 passes for 1021 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The biggest problem with the Dolphins trying to sign Perriman
is that he's asking $2 million per year. The Dolphins are hoping that
his age (he's 31) and salary cap pressures on other teams will force
him to accept a lower salary later on in the free agency period.
Dolphins Talk to free agent kickers
The Dolphins have also interviewed two free agent kickers Joe
Nedney a run for his money in training camp. The first is Olindo
Mare, from Cooper City High. Mare is another Joe Nedney-type kicker,
with a big leg and questionable accuracy. He spent last year on the
Giants' practice squad. If the Dolphins did sign him, he would be on
the team mainly to give Nedney some competition.
More interesting, however is free agent kicker Jeff Wilkins,
who played for the 49ers last year. He was the NFC's second leading
scorer with 130 points last year and was 4th in the league in kicking
accuracy, making all 40 of his extra points and 30 of 34 field goals.
He is also known for his "big leg" and even though the 49ers
only had 9 touchbacks on kickoffs last year, they were 5th in the
league in pinning their opponents deep on kickoffs, with opposing
teams starting at their own 25 yard line, on average. In contrast,
Nedney kicked 20 touchbacks last year, but for all that, the Dolphins'
opponents average starting position after kickoffs was the 24.4 yard
line.
Other Free Agent Info
It looks like linebacker Mike Jones of the Oakland Raiders is
no longer a possible signee for the Dolphins. With free agents like
Michael Barrow and Chad Brown signing for big, big bucks, Jones'
asking price has risen and he is not even going to come to Miami for a
visit.
Wide receiver Kevin Williams has narrowed his decision to
either signing with the Dolphins or returning to the Cowboys. Williams
expects to make a choice early next week.
And the Dolphins had safety Don Robinson, formerly with
Hamilton of the CFL, in for a workout on Friday.
Update On Gardener
There is very little new information on the shooting of Daryl
Gardener last week. He is listed in satisfactory condition in a
Dallas hospital and his condition is improving. The Dolphins expect
that he'll be recovered in time to take part in training camp in July.
As for the shooting itself, the Dallas police say that this
sort of thing happens occasionally and they don't hold out much hope
of finding the shooters. They say that people who get shot like this
on the highway often have no idea what they did to provoke the
shooters and it's pretty clear in this case that Gardener did nothing
to instigate the shooting.
My Comments:
Right now, it looks as if George Teague and Ron George are
well on their way to becoming Dolphins. If that happens, the Dolphins
will probably have a new starting free safety and linebacker next
season. Teague would start at free safety opposite Shawn Wooden and
Ron George would start at outside linebacker.
Don't get too excited about Brett Perriman. The odds are that
the Dolphins won't be able to sign him, because someone else will
probably pay his asking price.
As far as the kickers are concerned, Wilkins would be a
surprising addition to the team. On the whole, I wasn't too
disappointed with Nedney last year, but Wilkins would be a definite
improvement - if they can get him for a decent price. JJ doesn't like
to over spend for any players and Wilkins will command a high price
for a kicker.
The situation with Daryl Gardener is disturbing in many ways,
but I don't place any more importance on it than I would on a traffic
accident. As long as Gardener will be alright and as long as it
wasn't caused by anything he did, then we should count him and the
team as lucky and move along with the season.
Related Info:
PLAYER PROFILES:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New England
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