Submitted by John from Jacksonville Fl.

Q: how would you grade the victory last night?

Answered 11/20/09 14:40:13 by Jeff Darlington

A: I'm not going to sit here and write that Miami's win Thursday provided me any more reassurance that the Dolphins are an obvious playoff team. I still think this will be a ridiculously tough uphill battle if Miami wants to reach the postseason this year. But I'll say this about the win: It was gutsy. It was gritty. And it showed a level of perseverance I've seen from few teams before. That's worth plenty in my book. A mediocre team that can overcome adversity is better than a good team that folds in tough situations. So don't count these guys out. They fight like hell. And I always like a good fighter.

Submitted by Ty Gauge from Jax, Fl

Q: Jeff: Did we see a young QB come of age last nite? On the play when Henne was scrambling and being chased for an obvious loss at the sideline, at the last moment Henne had the presence of mind to pass the ball out of bounds for an incompletion. That was huge to me and he did several of those types of things in the game, not to mention the gun he put on display.IMHO we've got a good one on our hands! Your Take?

Answered 11/20/09 14:37:04 by Jeff Darlington

A: Actually, I think we might have begun to see that as soon as he won the big game against the Jets on Monday Night Football. And I think we saw him again during the final 1:14 against the Bucs last week. But yes, I know what you mean. And I agree. Each week, Henne is dealing with new challenges that are providing him with the experiences necessary to develop into the quarterback Miami wants him to be. He's dealing with loads of adversity around him at a very young point in his career, and I think that's going to pay off huge.

Submitted by Andrew from Coral Gables, Florida

Q: Jeff: Do you think Henne is the real deal, and, if so, why? Also, is there any other quarterback currently playing that Henne reminds you of? Thanks for your time.

Answered 11/20/09 14:35:33 by Jeff Darlington

A: Yes. I do. I've believed Henne will be the real deal for nearly a year now, and I'm certainly not about to stray away from that opinion now! I'm a big advocate of Henne's ability, maybe even to the point where I've annoyed a few of the other reporters who cover the team. I just really like the guy, and I think he's got the swagger to match his skill set. There's a lot of areas in which he still needs to grow, but here's the good news in that regard: I think many of us can agree the improvements he needs to make are typically those that can be learned with plenty of game experience. Don't forget. This dude is starting at quarterback with limited offensive weapons for the first time of his NFL career. And he's doing a damn good job of it. As far as who he reminds me of, I'd probably say a little bit of Phillip Rivers. Although, I like Henne's laid-back personality wayyy more.

Submitted by Thomas from Doral

Q: Hey Jeff, First of all, let me thank you for tweeting during the actual game. Very few people do that, and Its important when I dont have access to a TV or the Radio. What do you think of Lex Hillards success last night? He actually reminded me a bit of Ronnie Brown, with his size and running style.

Answered 11/20/09 14:31:54 by Jeff Darlington

A: Thanks, Thomas. For those not following me yet, you can get my tweets at twitter.com/jeff_darlington. I often worry about "overtweeting," since the last thing I'd want to do is overwhelm a casual with an abundance of tweets that don't interest them. Glad to hear that's not always the case. Hilliard did a very nice job Sunday, Thomas. He looks like a real pro from the moment the team started giving him carries. While I'm not quite ready to put him in the same category as Brown, he does have the downhill running style necessary to wear down defenses throughout the game. That's an incredibly undervalued quality. Downhill running isn't just an asset because it provides some fun hits. It's also important to the long-term success of an offense, because it causes exhaustion on the defensive side of the football. So yes, as far as his first significant action went, Hilliard gets passing grades.

Submitted by Chuck from Dover, Delaware

Q: Hi Jeff, my question has to do with the 3-4 defense. How critical is the nose tackle in that scheme? Can it still be viable with the loss of Jason Ferguson and Paul Solai? How hard would it be to switch to a 4-3? Thanks!

Answered 11/20/09 14:28:12 by Jeff Darlington

A: Sorry I'm late! I just landed from my flight back to Fort Lauderdale. Slight delay taking off. To answer your question, Chuck, the nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme is critically important. Perhaps as important as any position on the football field, aside from the quarterback. It's very rare to come by a nose tackle capable of providing the size and athleticism necessary to anchor an entire defensive line. The Dolphins need to hope Paul Soliai's return from an ankle injury occurs this week -- because it's going to be an incredibly difficult adjustment otherwise. While the team won't move to a 4-3, it will need to develop Tony McDaniel into a more dependable player, since his inexperience and size might not be ideal. This is a very tough situation for Miami to deal with, and it's one you're going to hear a lot more about throughout the week.

Submitted by Tyler Gauge from Jax, Fl

Q: Jeff; When a player is given a certain amt in his contract that's guranteed, is that exactly what that means, the portion is actually guranteed? I've always heard how the NFL contracts were no better thean the paper they are written on, that they were a game by game contract basically, if a team decided to part ways w/ you then they don't pay you outside of that year, depending obviously on vets and so on.

Answered 11/19/09 00:46:16 by Jeff Darlington

A: Yes, Tyler. Guaranteed money is exactly what it sounds like -- and usually it comes in the form of a signing bonus. I remember when Ronnie Brown, who'd just signed a deal worth nearly $20 million guaranteed as a rookie, talked about how he'd call the bank and ask for the balance of his account just for fun. When you're judging the worth of an NFL contract, that's why it's always smartest to look at the guaranteed money before forming an opinion on the value of the deal. Even when I'm writing my stories, I often put the heaviest emphasis on the guaranteed portion for those reasons.

Submitted by Jackson from California

Q: Jeff, Should Bud Adams be fined under the leagues conduct rules for giving the Bills the bird?

Answered 11/16/09 21:40:36 by Jeff Darlington

A: Of course. But $250,000!?! Those are some expensive birds!!

Submitted by Cornell Costa from Southwest Ranches

Q: Jeff, don't you think is time to se what Turner can do at a WR before we draft another WR ? What is his problem ?

Answered 11/16/09 10:42:48 by Jeff Darlington

A: Cornell: Thanks for the question. The good news is, Patrick was actually active for the first time Sunday against the Bucs. The bad news is, I think the only reason Miami was able to get him active as a result of multiple injuries to key players (Fasano, Smiley and Soliai were all injured), as well as Porter's deactivation. And since he really didn't get any repetitions to prove anything, I don't know if he'll be able to force the coaching staff to put him back in the lineup next week, the same way Cameron Wake did by performing well in his own debut. The other issue is, with Kory Sperry showing some talent, don't you feel the need to keep him on the field? If that's the case, you've got to find a way to activate a third tight end, which will cause even more problems when it comes to Turner's chances. I totally agree that Miami needs to see more from Turner. But it's going to take some real creativity -- or a lot of injuries -- to make it happen.

Submitted by mikeygavila from miami springs florida

Q: do think brown will played this week or next week?

Answered 11/16/09 10:38:46 by Jeff Darlington

A: I'd be shocked if Ronnie proves capable of playing Thursday against the Panthers. He limped pretty badly to the locker room after injuring his right ankle in the third quarter Sunday. While it isn't a break or a fracture, that's not necessarily still great news. Sometimes, a bad high ankle sprain can sideline a player even longer than a fracture. However, Ronnie did point out that he doesn't think it's that serious. He was on crutches after the game, and I suspect he'll probably keep his weight off the ankle for at least a week. The good news is, Miami will have a long weekend after Thursday's game, so he'll have quite a bit of time to get it healed -- possibly allowing him to practice by a week from Thursday, which would be enough time for him to play at Buffalo on Nov. 29.

Submitted by Stace from New Jersey

Q: Jeff great forum. Can you please give some insight why in the world do the Dolphins not believe in blitzing. They are getting NO pressure on the QB.

Answered 11/16/09 10:14:38 by Jeff Darlington

A: They do believe in blitzing, Stace. But I've found this team prefers to stay in four-man pressures when facing some of the more solid quarterbacks, like Brady, Manning and Brees. The reason is, Sparano believes those players are very capable of handling blitzes, which causes the secondary to become more vulnerable with the limited help in the backfield as a result of the heavy pressure inside. With a couple of young cornerbacks, you've got to be very careful when isolating them. Like I said, the Dolphins WILL blitz. They just need to pick their spots very carefully.

Submitted by scott from ocala florida

Q: what about pennington do you think he will be are starter next year? is there any small chance the fins can get tebow from gainsville and why don;t they pick up a vetran receiver when they have had chances in the past?

Answered 11/13/09 20:42:11 by Jeff Darlington

A: Nah, Scott. I think the Dolphins are safe and set with Chad Henne as their quarterback. I'm a big fan of Pennington's attitude and presence, but I believe Henne has what it takes to be a longtime starter in Miami. I'm not suggesting Pennington's career is done. But I see his return serving little purpose to a team that has moved forward with a young quarterback who has a promising career. This regime wants to always be moving forward, always looking toward the future. Henne is the future. Pennington is the past. As for Tebow, not even this UF alum is willing to say the Dolphins should go after him. Too many other needs to fill.

Submitted by scott edwards from kingsland ga

Q: I'm planning on going to the dolphins jags game in jacksonville any clue what color jersey the dolphins will have on??

Answered 11/13/09 14:11:09 by Jeff Darlington

A: Really, Scott? Realllly?

Submitted by dan from miami

Q: why is Patrick Turner not playing? will we see him play this year or what?

Answered 11/13/09 14:09:48 by Jeff Darlington

A: The more explosive his route-running ability becomes during practice, the more difficult he'll make it on this coaching staff to keep him inactive. Turner is getting close. That much has been made clear by coach Tony Sparano on several different occasions. But he still has yet to reach the level at which his one-dimensional ability makes it worth it to sideline another one of the more versatile pass catchers. Keep in mind, rookie Brian Hartline fills a number of roles, including his impact on special teams. So while I am absolutely a believer that Miami needs to find a creative way to activate White for a Sunday soon, I do understand this team is facing some tough challenges in getting to that point.

Submitted by Greg from APO,AE

Q: Jeff, Just curious, why doesn't Cam Wake get more playing time? Seems when he's in he does pretty well? Thanks for your time,

Answered 11/13/09 14:06:46 by Jeff Darlington

A: To the coaching staff's credit, I think there's a reason Cameron Wake is thriving most of the time he's in the game: He's being placed in situations when his talent will be most appropriately utilized. Wake is not yet a dominant force when it comes to run defense, but his ability to edge rush is extremely solid, thus the reason you're seeing him in third-down situations so often. With time, though, I'd think the team will begin to trust him in other scenarios as he continues to develop as a more well-rounded player.

Submitted by Tyler Gauge from Jax, Fl

Q: Jeff: IMHO if the Phins front office can't fill the #1 WR role this off season then heads must roll. After learning that Jets WR. Braylon Edwards is set to be a FA this off season, combined w/ Arizona's A.Boldin that gives Miami 2 great options to fix our laughable passing attack. For starters even if your not sold on Edwards (which I'm not full yet) Boldin could be had at a reasonable rate seeing as how Zona is losing leverage the longer they wait to deal him, given the fact he's made it clear he's not stayin in Arizona. Here are 2 great options either would or could make our Passing Offense one of the better ones in the league given our #2's & #3's are so good. Where you at on this!

Answered 11/13/09 14:02:28 by Jeff Darlington

A: Well, there's no possible way Miami can approach next season without aggressively addressing the wide receiver position this offseason. I mean, no way. I don't think there's anyone -- including Jeff Ireland -- who could possibly be thinking otherwise. Even if the perfect situation doesn't unfold when it comes to acquiring a solid WR through free agency or the draft (and there's a good chance it won't), the team needs to find a way to still upgrade.