Talking NFL

“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”

OK, now that I have your attention, let me begin by stating that I have absolutely zero proof that this could happen.  I haven’t talked to either player, nor have I spent time with either team.  As I’ve said before (and I’ll continue to say as long as they let me blog here at good ‘ol Talking NFL), I’m just a very lonely guy who likes to write about football in the hopes of one day climbing out of my parents basement and kissing a girl schmuck with a computer.

However, I like to think I have some common sense.  That’s why I picked the Patriots to win the AFC East, the Colts to win the AFC South, and the Bears to not make the playoffs.  (Then again, I also thought the Broncos and the 49ers were going to the Super Bowl, so I guess I have no point here…)  I try to learn from things that happen in the past, and to read between the lines when I listen to players and coaches talk.

And based on those things & a little bit of intuition, I think there’s a very good chance that at least one (if not both) of these perennial defensive studs could be suiting up in New England Patriot red, white & blue next year.  Here’s why:

For starters, let’s state the obvious:

- The New England Patriots at 6-0 are very very good
- The Miami Dolphins at 0-6 are very very bad

Stunning research, I know.  But let’s expand this;  the Patriots have been very very good for quite some time now, while the Dolphins have been treading watch for nearly just as long.  The last time Miami was in the playoffs was 2001, when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl and began their historic run.  

This means that it’s been over 5 seasons without a playoff game for either Zach Thomas or Jason Taylor (going on six).  And with age now becoming a factor for both players (34 and 33 respectively), the window to win a championship is nearly closed.

Enter Bill Belichick.  The hooded Machiavellian genius.  Poised to turn these life long Dolphins to the dark side…

Hey, he’s done it before.  Bryan Cox, Rodney Harrison, Corey Dillon and now Randy Moss just to name a few prominent ones.  Veteran players that sign on near the end of their careers in the hopes of winning a ring.  Of course, the Emperor doesn’t just hire any old Stormtrooper that comes in for an interview.  They have to meet at least some of the following criteria:

- Did they smoke the Patriots on a regular basis (the “if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em” ploy)?

- Did their last team give up on them?

The first instance is a definite yes.  For years now, Jason Taylor has treated Matt Light like his own personal turnstile.  As for Zach Thomas, he has consistently given the Patriots a headache in the middle of the defense.  

As for the second point, let’s take a look at a quote this week from Jason Taylor about the Dolphins current plight:

“Everyone is afraid to use that term ‘rebuilding’. Everyone wants to put different terms on it and call it different things, but fans and players and people in general can see through all of that, that façade and see what it really is. At this point, we’re in a rebuilding stage and sometimes to rebuild I think you have to tear down before you build up. I know every team reloads or retools or whatever you want to call it every off-season, but some need more than others. Obviously I know the situation we’re in now. It’s very clear and easy to see where we are and I’m not going to tiptoe around that, nor do I like that. The Patriots are going in one direction and we have gone in the other and it’s very disappointing.”

Yikes.  Keep Jason away from sharp objects…

Finally, while behavioral issues are of no concern for these 2 stand up players, the final factor could be in play as well.  Consider:

The Dolphins are rebuilding for next year - any doubts of that left earlier this week with Chris Chambers to San Diego.  They are going young at QB (Cleo Lemon), WR (the infamous Ted Ginn, Jr.) and will need to completely overhaul that defense in the off-season.  

Zach Thomas, the middle linebacker for that defense, is entering the last year of his contract in ‘08.  Of course, everyone knows that the last year of an NFL player contract is easier for a team to break than it is for Lindsay Lohan to break up an engagement.

A very realistic scenario for this off-season would have the Dolphins management requesting that Zach restructure the last year of his deal.  Now make no mistake, Zach is a stand-up guy and one of the first players you think of when you think of the Dolphins.  But what if he decides that he’s had enough?  What if he’s reached a point where he just wants a chance to win the big one?  Let’s call that point…oh, I don’t know…the Ray Bourque moment.

If Zach decides that he’s hit the Ray Bourque moment, perhaps he decides not to take that pay cut & forces the Dolphins to release him.

Enter the Patriots, who currently have Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau rotating on the weak inside linebacker spot.  Tedy is in the final year of his contract, and one has to wonder if he will decide to come back to the Patriots given the fact that he came back from a stroke (which is still amazing to think of when you see him playing).  As for Junior, his re-emergence at age 38 has been equally impressive, but you have to wonder if he’s coming back next year as well.

Should one of those spots open up, Zach would be an ideal replacement.  A savy veteran that could be brought in on a rotational basis.

And should that happen, what about Jason Taylor?  He’s all ready watched Larry Izzo and Wes Welker walk out the door.  What if his longtime teammate should abandon him as well?

Now Jason Taylor still has two years left on his deal, but given the way he sounds now isn’t it foreseeable that the Dolphins might cut ties with him after this season?

Who knows - it’s all speculation at this point.  But if you’re watching this Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Dolphins (and the Fins scare the crap out of me, just because they always play the Pats tough at home), keep an eye on any conversations that Coach Belichick may have with these two vaunted opponents.

He just might be treating this game as a recruiting trip.

Miami Dolphins, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Bill Belichick, New England Patriots