Looking ahead in the secondary

The secondary, as we know, is a work in progress. We desperately lack a playmaking, ball-hawking corner, and now former starting safety Chris Crocker has been released. Chalk him up as an Ernest Wilford bust.

There have been talks the last couple of weeks about bringing in Ty Law, who I think in a short term contract would be a great addition, but it appears that he is interested in playing for a contender. At 2-4, the Dolphins don't fall under that category.

Nevertheless, with Goodman struggling on the field and having personal problems off it, the Dolphins not only have to fill a hole at dime back, but they have a huge question mark at their #2 corner.

One possibility is that Lehan gets more playing time. He had some good coverages against the Ravens and could be moving up. Another possibility is Jason Allen. Word is that he is getting more practice time at corner and could be the answer in dime or even the starting lineup before too long. Keep in mind that he does possess the best size and athleticism to go against the prototypical receivers Miami has had trouble with. At the very least, if you just put him in man he can't screw up his assignment too badly!
______________________________________________________________________________________

Odds and ends:

-Paul Soliai is huge for the Dolphins this week. Even if Ferguson can play, his effectiveness will be limited. We need somebody to plug that gap, and it would be much better for the Dolphins if they could use Randy Starts at end.

-Jake Long is apparently impressing every team the Dolphins have played. Just like we had hoped, teams are leaving the field knowing that the Dolphins are going to have a monster on their hands for a long time. Terrell Suggs wasted no time in already calling him "one of the best."

-Want proof that you need to build teams through the draft? Long, Merling, Henne, Langford, and Donald Thomas all have promising futures and will be starters for this team. Through the free agent market? Smiley got a long term deal and is starting, but as nicely as Starks, Torbor, and Anderson have played, none of them are starting. Oh yeah, and Wilford...