Will Miami Dolphins' selection of Ryan Tannehill in first-round of 2012 NFL Draft result in Dolphin season ticket holders calling a timeout, too, and total number of subscriber tickets getting below 30,000 for first time since pre-Don Shula? Yes.

The Jason Taylor "Thank you" sign going up on U.S. 441/N.W. 2nd Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL. The area that my friends and I in NMB in the '70's always just called "around Norland," which was everything from I-95 north to the Broward county line, back when the county line really meant something. Long before there was a city called Miami Gardens. December 30, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

The workers pinch here, and pull there... the fabric ads are so much easier to put up than the old-fashioned ones requiring experienced painters. But then I'm old-fashioned, having grown-up, like my two sisters, with the sight of the iconic motorized Coppertone billboard -with the black terrier puppy pulling the Coppertone girl's bikini bottom down to expose her tan line- at the I-95/Golden Glades Interchange/Cloverleaf exit on N.W. 167th Street greeting us every time we returned from trips elsewhere in South Florida -or out-of-state. For my sisters and I, that amazing Coppertone sign was always the sign that we were finally home. http://www.pbase.com/image/77098090
And the perfect landmark for directions, since it was impossible to miss.
December 30, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

I was never a big fan of Jason Taylor's, per se, like many other devout Dol-fans, as I have noted a time or two here before, but this was a very classy thing to do.

December 30, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved


Rather than my going on-and-on after 1 a.m. about the myriad problems associated with the Dolphins selecting Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill with their eight pick in the NFL draft's first- round about five hours ago, with the idea of keeping him in cold storage for the next year or so, instead of selecting a proven play-maker who can immediately help them win more games this year -I suggested Quinton Coples, who wound-up being drafted at #16 by the Jets- I will ask you this simple question.


Given whom the team has chosen to draft with their first-round selection, a player who will likely not play significantly this year, do you believe the number of Dolphin season tickets will actually go below 30,000 before Ryan Tannehill ever starts three games in a row as a pro?  
Until three months ago, I would never have imagined I'd be saying this, but I now believe the correct answer to that question is YES.


As i stated here recently, I believe that the Dolphins will only sell-out two home ballgames this year, the Jets and the Patriots, which is good news I suppose for the Hurricanes' ticket office.


I also have a very bad feeling that some people in South Florida will be receiving a letter EXACTLY like this one very soon from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, with only the dates and names changed from the one I received last year.


Yes, it's really starting to feel a lot like IU football circa 2009 around here with the Dolphins, and you know that is NOT a good thing.


-----


Dolphin Delusions: from my email inbox of July 26, 2011 

BACK TO FOOTBALL |

Dear David, Welcome back to football! We are ecstatic that we can now turn our attention to the 2011 season that lies ahead. I want to assure you - as both a fan and as the owner of the Dolphins - that we share the same goal. We  want to bring a Super Bowl Championship back to South Florida. That's always been my commitment. I feel even stronger about it now. You deserve nothing less. Our coaches and players are eager to kick off the 2011 campaign in a big way. Thanks to the hard work of Jeff Ireland and our football staff, we were able to infuse our squad with a potent combination of speed, power and athleticism during the 2011 NFL Draft. With Coach Sparano's relentless dedication leading the way, we will build a smart, tough and disciplined team. We will continue to be active and aggressive in our ongoing effort to assemble a strong, championship caliber team. Thank you for all you do for the Miami Dolphins. I am proud and honored to be a part of this storied franchise and appreciate your loyal support of our team. I look forward to seeing you at Sun Life Stadium in 2011. Go Dolphins! Sincerely, Steve Ross

This message was transmitted on behalf of:
Miami Dolphins Sales and Marketing
347 Don Shula Drive
Miami Gardens, FL 33056

-----
http://www.agilitynut.com/roadside.html

7 Days for the Miami Dolphins to end or add to their reputation for terrible NFL Draft selections. A last chance for sanity and common sense for long-suffering Dol-fans? We want Quinton Coples, DE from North Carolina

DE Quinton Coples on ESPN Sport Science with John Brenkus, April 8, 2012.
http://youtu.be/n6JO299HD4w

7 Days for the Miami Dolphins to end or add to their reputation for terrible NFL Draft selections. A last chance for sanity and common sense for long-suffering Dol-fans? We want Quinton Coples, DE from North Carolina.

Knowing that "only victory would suffice they produced a performance short on ambition, low on energy and looked and acted like a team that knew the game was up." 


And he's NOT describing the Miami Dolphins of the past dozen years!


No, BBC Sports chief football writer Phil McNulty was actually describing the flat tire on the road that has been City -Manchester City- of late.

But admit it, his spare and unwavering description reads like the true story of almost every upsetting Dolphins loss of the 21st Century, doesn't it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2012/04/citys_horse_bolts_as_balotelli.html

(I subscribe to Phil's blog about the Premier League and all thing England National Team, et al.)


Rhetorical question of the week:

Q: Dave, will you be mocking the majority of the 2012 NFL Mock Drafts that have the Dolphins "overdrafting" and drafting Aggies QB Ryan Tannehill? 

A: Wish I could, but sadly, I DO think the Dolphins will likely screw this up, too -if only out of habit!


Bleacher Report
Ryan Tannehill and Overdrafting Quarterbacks: An NFL Epidemic
By Dan Hope, April 14, 2012

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145779-ryan-tannehill-and-overdrafting-quarterbacks-an-nfl-epidemic


Here's what longtime Dolphin fans know from first-hand experience, year-after-year.

Continuing the pattern that has seemingly existed since Joe Thomas left the Dolphins for the Baltimore Colts in the mid-1970's and drafted Bert Jones, Roger Carr, Lydell Mitchell and a host of very talented and exciting players to watch, thereby depriving Don Shula of a savvy partner in planning the Dolphins' future, this year's NFL Draft -starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday April 26th- will likely feature at least 8-10 players who are drafted AFTER the Dolphins first-round selection at #8 who will have more to do with their respective teams winning in 2012 than whomever the Dolphins select with the pick.

That is, unless they inexplicably wind-up with a chance to get their hands on future All-Pro RB Trent Richardson or the player we want.

To me, that particular scenario is likely unless the Browns beat the Dolphins to the overdraft punch and select Texas A& M QB Ryan Tannehill with their pick at #4, in which case they will also probably try to move up via a trade with a team with their #22 first-round pick for the 5th-7th selection, so they can get whatever WR St. Louis doesn't draft, either Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon or Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, so that Browns QB Colt McCoy will have a game-breaker to thrown to.

The Dolphins have floundered on the field and off for the past decade, and like Los Angeles  Dodger fans and their genuine, deep-seated animosity towards soon-to-be-former owner Frank McCourt, which explains why they are NOT using the parking lots that he still owns and a "record number of Dodger fans took public transportation" on Opening Day, to their dismay, Dolphin fans wake-up each morning with a buffoonish villain of an owner of their own in billionaire Stephen Ross,.


As has been written elsewhere in South Florida a million times the past few years, Ross
STILL seems far too fixated on extraneous matters fans don't care about, even if female Miami-area TV reporters do.
Frankly, most troubling of all, despite his recent PR moves to reach out to Dolphin season ticket holders, Ross seems genuinely unable to learn from his own past mistakes.


Yes, the very same upsetting personality trait that I complain about with great specificity on this blog with respect to how the City of Hallandale Beach, Broward County and the Sunshine State are, seemingly, regularly mis-managed in a world where serious decisions with lasting ramifications need to be made by serious, hard-working people who are focused on both the short-term and long-term.
We don't expect perfection, really, we don't.


But we don't think it's unreasonable to keep the financial and policy screw-ups to a bare minimum, to not actually be the rule rather than the exception, and not keep stepping into the same pot-hole over-and-over, like it was just put there.


Except here, at the city, county and state level, people in charge seem to studiously avoid solutions with a demonstrated track record of working in other multiple cities, counties or states, and instead, lamely insist that there's a unique quality here -too warm, too poor, too Hispanic, too car-loving, too many Homeless, too-something- that rules out using  those solutions here, so instead, elected leaders form task forces where they appoint friends and cronies, many of whom have serious self-evident conflict-of-interests, and we end up re-inventing the wheel.
It's so f-ing frustrating!


Watching Dolphins owner Ross is the same thing, exasperating in the extreme, and unlike many of what is now an army of critics, I actually want Ross to improve as an owner, not just keep screwing-up because it's such a great conversation starter around South Florida that instantly produces shaking heads in people.


Dolphin season ticket sales are at the lowest point they've been in in roughly thirty years, and with what can only be described as an ugly home schedule in an area where something being an "event" is not only well known but common knowledge, even among kids, I believe only the Jets and Patriots home games are likely to sell-out.


Consider this home slate and you'll see why I'm right:

NFL Week 2, Sept. 16: vs. Oakland, 1 p.m.

Week 3, Sept. 23: vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m.

Week 6, Oct. 14: vs. St. Louis, 1 p.m.

Week 9, Nov. 4: at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.

Week 10, Nov. 11: vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m.

Week 12, Nov. 25: vs. Seattle, 1 p.m.

Week 13, Dec. 2: vs. New England, 1 p.m.

Week 15, Dec. 16: vs. Jacksonville, 1 p.m.

Week 16, Dec. 23: vs. Buffalo, 1 p.m.

That means it's probably even-money that six games will NOT be televised in South Florida, this season, which perhaps helps the Hurricanes sell some game tickets to folks who believe Al Golden is selling.


The fact that all Dolphin home games are at 1 p.m., when the South Florida sun will bake you just as soon as look at you, will not help the Dolphins and Ross one bit.


In my opinion, the Dolphins should draft someone with playmaker ability who will play a lot in his first year and could blossom opposite Cameron Wake -UNC DE Quinton Coples, #90, who is 6' 6", 291 pounds, was First Team All-ACC, 24 sacks in 4 years. 

For those of you who question his desire, seems that I recall that Dan Marino's senior year wasn't so great, either, but unlike Marino's final year, the Tar Heels' head coach, Butch Davis, was fired just a few weeks before the season started, a lot of starting players were suspended for multiple games, so, the season was essentially over before it ever started.

DE Quinton Coples NFL Pro Day Highlights
http://youtu.be/QQmysrkRd3o

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thedailydolphin/2012/04/19/si-draft-expert-tony-pauline-defends-quinton-coples-against-his-critics/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1146309-todd-mcshay-2012-nfl-mock-draft-analysis-for-each-pick/

Palm Beach Post

Brian Billick, Mike Golic agree: Miami Dolphins shouldn’t draft Ryan Tannehill just for the sake of taking a QB

by Ben Volin, April 12, 2012

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thedailydolphin/2012/04/12/brian-billick-mike-golic-agree-miami-dolphins-shouldnt-draft-ryan-tannehill-just-for-the-sake-of-taking-a-qb/

As regular readers of the blog know, I was at the Dolphins HQ in Davie in 2007 when they passed on selecting Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn at pick #9, after he had already been ignored by his hometown Browns with the #3 pick, and instead drafted Ohio State WR Ted Ginn, Jr., now with the 49ers, which caused the huge crowd of fans in the 'bubble' to explode in anger.

Above, the surprised look says it all. Brady Quinn at the 2007 NFL Draft HQ in NYC when Ted Ginn, Jr.'s name was formally announced. This is prior to Quinn dating U.S. Olympic gymnast captain Alicia Sacramone, whose moxie and spirit have long made her a personal favorite of yours truly. Screenshot by Mario J. Bermudez.

I was actually standing less than 15 feet from Dolphin broadcasters Jimmy Cefalo and the late Jim Mandich and their WQAM producers while they were doing their LIVE coverage of the NFL Draft, and when that announcement was made -and listening to them via my Walkman- when the cascade of boos reached a crescendo, it literally drowned-out what I was listening to.

The public's mood did not improve when then-Dolphins first-year head coach Cam Cameron came out and addressed the public on why the organization had chosen to make that decision.

As always, to quote myself in my last sentence of my 2011 pre-NFL Draft post of April 28th, 2011, where I called on the Dolphins to draft Arkansas QB Ryan Mallette, 

That's not a chill, that's a Draft: With Dolphin fans at emotional nadir, will team continue frustrating at NFL Draft? Pick Mallett!
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/thats-not-chill-thats-draft-with.html
"The past is prologue."


Just saying, that's NOT good news for long-suffering Dolphin fans.


Ever since the Super Bowl ended, surprisingly from my p.o.v. with a Giants win over the Patriots, I've had a Google Alert for 2012 NFL mock drafts.
As you might imagine, though it started off with a trickle, for weeks it's been a veritable torrent, and I've looked at most of the citations.


Of all of these, though, as far as a Dolphins-related mock draft, the best I've seen thus far is the one done by the Palm Beach Post, and mostly Ben Volin and Brian Biggane, and not just because they agree with me on drafting Quinton Coples.


http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d8280330b/On-the-Beat-Dolphins-No-8


http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thedailydolphin/2012/04/10/the-palm-beach-posts-2012-nfl-mock-draft/


Tannehill definitely makes more sense for Kansas City at #11, backing-up Matt Cassell and Brady Quinn.

Kansas City Star Video Star NFL correspondent Adam Teicher on Chiefs draft choices. 

http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=undefined

-----

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012

http://bleacherreport.com/2012-nfl-draft

http://www.youtube.com/user/usnikefootball

http://www.miamidolphins.com/

Dolphins' new Nike merchandise is here: 

http://shop.dolphins.com/Miami-Dolphins-Nike-NFL-Gear-Merchandise-_-848882224_PG.html?sourceid=906x75nfllaunch04112

Three weeks before 2012 NFL Draft, NFL & Nike host marketing bonanza for release of Nike's Elite 51 line of football uniforms, sportswear & training apparel

Wall Street Journal Digital Network video: NFL and Nike Unveil New Team Jerseys at Brooklyn Navy Yard. April 3, 2012.

Three weeks before 2012 NFL Draft, NFL & Nike host marketing bonanza for release of Nike's Elite 51 line of football uniforms, sportswear & training apparel.

Above, MarketWatch correspondent Andria Cheng reports from the NFL marketing bonanza that fans have been buzzing about for months as the NFL's contract shifts from Reebok to Nike.

She speaks to Brian Orakpo of the Redskins and Alex Smith of the 49ers about the new line of official uniforms, shoes and gloves, and speaks to Nike Brand president Charlie Denson about the new line of NFL-themed consumer sportswear and training line of apparel. 

Costs for near-replica of lighter, non-water-absorbent Elite 51 line of NFL game jerseys are approximately $250, with the intermediate line of fitted shirts, with centered team logo, going for about $100 a piece, $15 more than the current price point of Reebok's. 

Denson expects most of the merchandise to be on retail store shelves by NFL Draft of April 26th. Projected wholesale sales of $750 million? We'll see. 

http://youtu.be/G9qwUwF0sE8

FYI: New Era has the field hat contract.

USNikeFootball video: How we work: Nike + the Seattle Seahawks. April 3, 2012

Nike Football Design Director Todd Van Horne and Seattle Seahawks Equipment Manager Eric Kennedy discuss the collaboration between Nike and Seahawk players and staff to get the most innovative products on the players. Seahawk strong safety Kam Chancellor wants the lightest uniform possible given how he's expected to keep up with the opponent's fastest players on the field.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlCWM4bCCP8&feature=colike

See also:

Bloomberg TV video: Mark Crumpton of Bloomberg TV's "Bottom Line" tal;ks to Denson and . NFL Uniforms, Tebow Merchandise. April 3, 2012.

http://youtu.be/-0Pckgv_XL4

NFL, Nike roll out new uniforms for all 32 teams

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8280d110/article/nfl-nike-roll-out-new-uniforms-for-all-32-teams

NFL.com's photo gallery of new uniforms: 

http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d8280d850?module=HP11_hot_topics#id:09000d5d8280d924

Dolphins' Karlos Dansbv wearing new uniform: http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d8280d850?module=HP11_hot_topics#id:09000d5d8280d8db

Dolphins' new Nike merchandise is here: 

http://shop.dolphins.com/Miami-Dolphins-Nike-NFL-Gear-Merchandise-_-848882224_PG.html?sourceid=906x75nfllaunch04112

----

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012

http://www.youtube.com/user/usnikefootball

http://www.seahawks.com/team/roster/Kam-Chancellor/d8609aa5-f05a-4353-87d9-794d9cf8abbf

http://www.miamidolphins.com/