DOLPHINS: Brown Returns to Practice

Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown practiced in full pads on Sunday for the first time since tearing his right ACL last October, according to the Miami Herald.

BOTTOM LINE: Brown exited the practice early after being tackled downfield, but he insisted that he was fine. Head Coach Tony Sparano said that he will ease Brown back into action. If healthy, Brown could be a good option at running back this season, especially with Jake Long now in the mix.

The Jason Taylor Effect

On Sunday, the Redskins suffered two huge blows when two defensive ends were carted off of the field with season-ending injuries. The urgency was high, and they wasted no time filling in the void. They picked up the phone and called Bill Parcells, and less than five hours later, Jason Taylor was calling Washington his new home.

Taylor was acquired by the Redskins in exchange for a future second and sixth pick. Now, a big worry about Taylor is the comment he made about playing only one more season. According to John Clayton of ESPN, Taylor has told the Redskins that he intends to play out the final two years of his contract.

Remember, this is a former defensive player of the year. Taylor is not going to be a bum. He is going to bolster the Redskins’ defense, and he is going to make their defense a top ten team to draft in fantasy for defense. This is a trade that both sides absolutely needed to make.

–MICHAEL GANCI

DOLPHINS: Williams Looking Good

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has looked like one of the best players on the field in Miami’s offseason practices, according to the Miami Herald.

BOTTOM LINE: Williams has been out of the NFL for a few years now with various problems, and he has the potential to be the comeback player of the year. Don’t discount Ronnie Brown though.

DOLPHINS: Packers Inquire on Taylor

Miami Dolphins defensive linemen Jason Taylor is drawing interest from the Green Bay Packers, although no deal seems imminent at the current time.

BOTTOM LINE: Taylor in Green Bay would make sense, but I don’t see a deal getting done with Bill Parcells’ unrealistic asking price. If he is willing to ask for less, we may see a deal get done here.

DOLPHINS: Brown Participates

On the Clock

There are rotisserie heroes and fantasy goats. But some performances are so ugly, egregious or plain perplexing they demand a closer look. Here is Update’s seriously twisted moment this week.

Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins are on the clock. The NFL Draft is nearly here and there still is no consensus of who the Fish will select with the first overall pick — if they pick at all.

After months of speculation, we are no closer to knowing Miami’s draft day plans than we were after they locked up the um, honor, by virtue of a 1-15 season.

That’s right, when Commissioner Roger Goodell walks to the podium and declares this draft open come Saturday in Midtown Manhattan, what follows next is anyone’s guess.

There are holes everywhere along the Miami depth chart, exactly what you’d expect from a team coming off its worst season in franchise history.

Will the Fins trade down? Take a franchise quarterback? Select a rush end? Pick an anchor at offensive tackle? Or maybe a wall of a defensive lineman? Who knows?

But everyone has a stake in the outcome. What Miami does will have an obvious trickle down effect on the entire draft.

After months of hinting at taking one of the Longs (Virginia’s Chris or Michigan’s Jake) — either choice filling a glaring need and considered a safe return on the investment — The Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote this week called on the Fish to show some courage and take the player who could help turn around the Dolphins most dramatically.

Namely, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. And I agree. Miami has never had the luxury of picking first. This is no time for conservative play calling. Go out and grab a guy who could answer the one question that has lingered hauntingly over the franchise since the 2000 season.

Who will replace Dan Marino? Who indeed.

Ryan is no sure thing. But he’s already considered better than Miami’s penciled in starter John Beck (a second round pick in 2007) or free agent pickup Josh McCown (a journeyman at best).

The last regime in Miami lasted one season. And their biggest perceived gaffe was passing on another franchise quarterback in Notre Dame gunslinger Brady Quinn at No. 9.

Don’t make the same mistake twice, Big Tuna.

This franchise and its fans need a leader and posterboy, someone to hang Super Bowl hopes upon. And no lineman, no matter how dominant, can deliver on this promise the way a highly-touted quarterback can.

That makes Matt Ryan the only choice on draft day.