*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Feb 26, 1997: -- Kicker Olindo Mare Signs --
** Kicker Olindo Mare Signs
The Miami Herald is reporting today that the Dolphins have
signed free agent kicker Olindo Mare to a one year contract. Mare,
who spent all of last season on the New York Giants practice squad, is
reported to have a very strong leg. According to the Herald, 85
percent of his kickoffs in college reached the endzone and 67 percent
were touchbacks.
On the other hand, Mare is supposed to be inconsistent in his
field goal accuracy. The Dolphins signed Mare to push Joe Nedney this
spring.
** Kevin Williams May Sign Wednesday
Kevin Williams is scheduled to visit the Dolphins today and
may sign a contract when he is in town. He has narrowed his decision
down to Dallas and Miami.
** CB Darrien Gordon visits Dolphins
Cornerback Darrien Gordon visited the Dolphins on Tuesday as
another in a long line of free agent defensive backs to visit the team
this spring. Gordon was a first round pick in 1993 out of Stanford by
the Chargers and has since started in 29 out of the 48 games he's
played.
Another player who is an accomplished kick returner, Gordon
was second only to Desmond Howard in punt return average last year,
with a 14.9 yard per return average. And despite missing the entire
1995 season with an injury, Gordon has 7 career interceptions.
My Comments:
According to an article in an old Sporting News, Mare hit 12
of 17 field goals as a senior at Syracuse. It doesn't say what
distance those field goals were, but that's about a 70% success rate.
That is better than Nedney's 1996 success rate of 62%, but it isn't
that great.
Personally, I'd like to see Nedney get one more year before
he's declared a failure. It seemed to me that he was getting better
at the end of the year and his form and aiming technique was
improving.
I think that Kevin Williams would be a more than adequate
replacement for Randal Hill and Lamar Thomas and I would like to see
the Dolphins sign him.
As far as Darrien Gordon is concerned, his biggest
contribution could be as a punt returner, but he would help improve
the secondary if the Dolphins could sign him. Without knowing more
about the details of his visit, I would guess that he's asking more
money than the Dolphins would be willing to pay.
Related Info:
PLAYER PROFILES:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New England
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