*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Jul 18, 1998: -- Chad May Works Out --
** Chad May Works Out for Coaches
Quarterback Chad May worked out for the Dolphins' coaches this
week and preliminary reports say that May looked good and may get a
contract offer from the team. The Dolphins release quarterback Stan
White earlier this week, leaving the team with 4 quarterbacks on the
roster as they get ready for training camp.
May played college football at Kansas State, where he set
several school and conference passing records. He was drafted in the
4th round of the 1995 draft by the Minnesota Vikings, but was later
cut. After Minnesota, he has spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and
last year was on the Cincinnati Bengals roster. However, he has never
played quarterback in a regular NFL game.
** Raymont Harris Signs With Packers
Former Bears' running back Raymont Harris signed a deal with
the Green Bay Packers yesterday for a reported $1.3 million for one
year. Harris did get a contract offer from the Dolphins last week, but
the deal was reported to be for $400,000 with incentives that could
have raised it to $1 million.
The stated reason for Harris signing with the Packers was that
he felt that the Packers had a better chance to go to the SuperBowl
than the Dolphins.
** Rumor Mill
The rumors currently circulating in Miami are that the coaches
are very happy with the talent shown by rookie defensive end Kenny
Mixon and that they will probably cut or trade Trace Armstrong by the
time the season opens in September. Of course, Mixon is still unsigned
and so far has not participated in a single drill with full pads or
serious hitting for the team.
Also in the rumor mill is the fact that Karim Abdul-Jabbar will
keep the starting running back job unless one of the crop of running
backs in the lineup behind him really outperforms him in training camp.
Lawrence Phillips, while demonstrating a renewed sense of purpose this
spring, has reportedly not shown enough to JJ yet that he will put
Phillips into the starting position.
Again, though, this could all change when the actually hitting
starts in training camp next week.
My Comments:
Cutting Stan White and signing Chad May would seem to be a
pointless exercise in roster rotation. While I know nothing about May,
the fact that three other teams have cut him in three years would seem
to indicate that he is not a quality player.
However, it may be that an extra quarterback will make training
camp better for the other players, especially if Huard's shoulder is
not fully recovered. If Huard can't go full speed starting next week,
an extra quarterback will reduce the workload on Marino, Erickson and
Dutton.
The loss of Harris to the Packers raises a number of questions.
What would it have taken to sign Harris in Miami? Was he set on the
Packers all along (which seems likely)? Reports are that the Packers
have been a favorite team of Harris' for a long time. Did Harris just
come to Miami to get the Packers to boost his salary offer?
On the other hand, why is JJ unwilling to outbid another team
for a player's services? Is it a motivational thing? Is this how he
tells which players are really serious about coming and playing in
Miami or does he really believe that Harris is not worth the money that
Green Bay shelled out for him?
While in most cases I would tend to ignore what the other
teams in the league think when evaluating player talent, I think that
the Packers have shown enough skill in that area over the last 5 years
that I would trust their judgement.
In the rumor mill, the release or possible trade of Trace
Armstrong has been a hot item ever since JJ came to Miami. If the
rookies play well and Danny Stubbs can stay healthy, then Trace and his
$1.6 million per year salary become very expendable. I doubt any
other team would be willing to pick that up unless they were very short
on defensive linemen, so I would say that a release is more likely than
a trade.
As far as KAJ is concerned, it's not surprising that he looks
the best so far. Phillips hasn't had enough time to show what he can
(or can't) do, especially after missing most of the first two
mini-camps with injuries. But only time will tell.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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