Miami got snubbed by yet another Free Safety on Monday, as Ryan Clark resigned with the Pittsburgh Steelers after spending the entire day visiting the Miami Dolphins facility and meeting the staff. It looks like he just used as leverage. Doesn't that make you feel great?!

In any case, Clark is the second safety to say no to Miami, (Rolle being the other), and while Miami is clearly interested in bringing in a stop gap for youngster Chris Clemons, they are running out of options. There are still 3 FS's left on the market. One is Antione Bethea. The 25 year old is turning into a star in this league, however, he was tendered by Indy with a first round pick, and the Colts will likely match any offer that anybody throws at Bethea. The Colts do not have much depth at safety, and especially considering that Bob Sanders is hurt more times than not, having Bethea in the back-end of their defense is imperative. The Colts will not let the young man go easily, and Miami is not very willing to part ways with the 12th overall pick. The talk is that Miami has talked extensively about the possibility of bringing him in, but I doubt that will end up happening.

Another FS that is still out there is OJ Atogwe. While Atogwe (I refuse to call him just OJ, for the obvious reasons), is an RFA like Bethea, he was tendered with a "first refusal". Or in other words; absolutely nothing. If you can outbid the Rams, then he is yours with no compensation. The problem is that the Rams are not going to let anybody outbid them. Atogwe is a playmaking FS who is still only 28 years old, obviously making him somebody who is very capable of completing a FA contract. He would add exactly what we need to the back end. It's pretty baffling that Miami has not shown any interest what-so-ever in him up to this point...at least not yet, or not out loud. Remember that Bill Parcells works on the down low.

The third one is Darren Sharper. Sharper is obviously the older option at 34 years old, and less than a week ago he underwent knee surgery. The guy is still a beast though, and might be the perfect 2 year stop-gap to Chris Clemons. Sharper had 9 INT's last season, and was one of the pillars of that Saints' Super Bowl run. Sharper is a great leader and a great player. If he is healthy, Miami should definitely make a run at him. The likely scenario is that he resigns with New Orleans, but you never know.

Whoever Miami decides to go with, it won't have been their first option. They are down to Plan C, and it's clear that they don't want to have to revert to Plan (?) with Clemons thrown in there prematurely.

 Jim Mandich battling cancer

Apparently, former Miami Dolphins TE, and now broadcaster Jim "Mad Dog" Mandich is suffering from cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. He has a tumor on his bile duct. It's not a good situation right now for him, so our thoughts and prayers reach out to him and a hopefully very good and quick recovery.

Did we pay too much for Dansby?

Prisco apparently thinks so ...

"I like the move OK, but the money was way too high

Karlos Dansby is a good player. He is not worth what the Miami Dolphins paid him. The Cardinals wanted him back, but only at the right price. They didn't see him as a difference maker. The Dolphins obviously do. Paying him a contract that includes $22 million in guaranteed money to play inside is a lot of money. Good player. But the position isn't a value spot -- and they paid him that way."

I disagree. I think Dansby is a big time player, and inside LB in a 34 Defense, while not as vitally important as NT or OLB, is still a very important position that needs to be filled. Miami had a big void in the middle of the defense, and they filled it with a big time player; the best on the market. You have to applaud them for that. I think it was a great signing.

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