NFL Week 14 Live Blog

Because the question of whether or not the Eagles fans are rooting for a win tomorrow, my answer tomorrow is yes, I am rooting for the Eagles to defeat the Miami Dolphins.  I understand the logic of wanting a better possible draft pick, and a loss against a team they are "competing" against would help them in landing a better pick, but the Eagles are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.  And even though the odds are hovering around 1% that they will make the playoffs, I just can't bring myself to root against them when the Eagles still have a chance, no matter how slim it may be.  Until the Eagles are mathematically eliminated, I can't find it in my heart to root for them to lose and I won't root for them to lose.

NFL Week 14 Schedule

Thanks to some rather hilarious ineptitude on the part of the Cowboys and Giants, the 4-8 Eagles still have a path to the playoffs that does not involve back-breaking mathematics.  If in their last four games, the Eagles go 4-0, the Cowboys 1-3, and the Giants 2-2, the Eagles will (incredibly) be the 4-seed.  Now mind you, the probability this actually happens is somewhere around 1%, but hey, on September 1, the Tampa Bay Rays had a .3% chance of winning the AL East.  The point: This would not be the most statistically improbable comeback of the year.  So on that desperate note, here is your Week 14 NFL Schedule! (all times ET; games I get are in bold)

Thursday Night Football

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers  8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)

Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games

Fox games

New Orleans Saints  vs. Tennessee Titans  1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers  1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos  4:05 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals  4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)

CBS early games

New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets  1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)

America's Game Of The Week and other CBS late games

Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers  4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Sunday Night Football

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Rachel Nichols)

Originally Scheduled At Dolphin Stadium Land Shark Stadium, Super Bowl XLIV Will Now Be Played At Sun Life Stadium

If you've been reading up on the news today (or know anything about where the Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins play home games) then you know that the Super Bowl is not actually changing venues, just the venue is changing it's name for the 6th time. That's right, Super Bowl XLIV will be played at Sun Life Stadium! From The Miami Herald

Officials from Toronto-based Sun Life Financial said Wednesday they hope their new stadium naming rights deal with the Miami Dolphins will result in significantly higher name recognition in the United States.

The impact should be immediate, because Sun Life Stadium will play host to the Jan. 31 Pro Bowl on ESPN and Feb. 7 Super Bowl on CBS. Dolphins chief executive officer Mike Dee said the NFL allowed the stadium to change the name in time for both marquee events.

``We've got great presence in Canada and internationally, but we've really lacked brand presence in the U.S.,'' Sun Life Financial U.S. president Westley Thompson said. ``Our efforts are to get our name out so sooner or later, you will know our name. This is another step.''

Priscilla Brown, Sun Life's senior vice president, said the naming rights agreement is for five years, with an option for a minimum of five additional years. An official close to the negotiations said Sun Life's rights fee is less than the $7.5 million reported by Sports Business Journal. The deal is believed to be worth at least $5 million per year.

``Miami was the total package,'' Brown said. ``Three teams playing here was a huge factor.''

The stadium plays host to the Dolphins, University of Miami football team and the Florida Marlins, but the Marlins will move to their own ballpark in 2012.

Sun Life Financial, whose U.S. offices are outside Boston, bills itself as a ``leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers.'' Thompson said the company has $385 billion in assets.

Brown said the region is appealing to Sun Life because ``we have a number of agents who represent our products in South Florida and group offices [here]. The South Florida market is very important to the financial services industry. It's where most of the boomers, where most of the financial services profits will come from in future years.''

Wednesday's announcement was made in front of more than 150 fans at the stadium and included a performance by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The name will be the stadium's seventh since it opened as Joe Robbie Stadium in 1987. Its other names: Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium and Land Shark Stadium.

The facility had been called Dolphin Stadium for the past two weeks. Land Shark Lager's eight-month naming-rights deal, which did not include a rights fee, expired after the Jan. 5 FedEx Orange Bowl.

Dee noted the agreement is ``the first naming rights deal done of significance in the post recession period. It was love at first sight.''

Was I the only one that didn't know the name went back to Dolphin Stadium after the Orange Bowl?

And I thought that the corporate sponsorship of The Center that hosts the Flyers and the Sixers was crazy. From the Corestates Center to the First Union Center (boy I miss the days of calling our sports arena the F.U. Center) to the Wachovia Center, and with the merger of Wachovia and Wells Fargo currently happening, it will likely be the Wells Fargo Center by the start of next season. And to think, this is a building that opened in 1996! It's crazy the lack of consistency of some of these building names, although I do think that now Sun Life Stadium in Florida. From the time period between January 21, 2009 and January 21, 2010, the name changed 3 times!

2009 NFL Preview: Miami Dolphins

(Note from JFein: I had a brain fart last night and forgot to copy and paste the Dolphins preview which Keith had written yesterday onto here. Here are the Dolphins, and sometime later today I will have the New England Patriots preview up as well).

By 49er16:

To say last year's Dolphins team was the surprise team of the NFL is an understatement. Think about it for a second. This was a team that finished with a 1-15 record in 2007, and made the playoffs the very next season.

A lot of the credit goes to Bill Parcells. Parcells inherited a mess and he completely cleaned house. With the 1st overall draft choice Parcells drafted Left Takle Jake Long. He brought in his old quarterback Chad Pennington. He cut loose long time veteran Jason Taylor. He hired a new coach in Tony Saprano. And the new pieces all came together nicely and the team reached the playoffs. With a little help from the new NFL sensation, the wild cat offense. The Dolphins will look to continue their success from last season.

What Will Tony Saprano Think of Next?: Last year Tony Saprano and the Dolphins re-introduced the world to the wild cat offense. And the league was hooked. Especially how affective the offense was against the New England Patriots in Boston. Pretty soon, every team in the NFL was implementing the wild cat offense into their system. But no one ran the offense better than the Dolphins and running back Ronnie Brown.

Now the Dolphins and Saprano are trying to think of new ways to be innovative. Right now the Dolphins are looking at ways to best utilize their new draft pick Pat White. White was a spectacular quarterback at West Virginia and he could fit in nicely with the Dolphins. The Dolphins are also looking to utilize both Joey Porter and Jason Taylor in a special defensive package. The Dolphins will continue to be a team to look for new innovative ways to use their players and offensive and defensive packages.

The Return of Jason Taylor: Bill Parcells and Jason Taylor clashed before the start of last season. Taylor had just stared in 'Dancing with the Stars' and was complimenting retiring to start a career in Hollywood. Parcells decided to ship Taylor to Washington. Well after one disastrous season that saw Taylor hurt the most of the time in Washington, he's back with Miami. And Taylor seems to be having a better go around this time with Parcells and Miami. If he can stay healthy this season, look for Taylor to have a bounce back season in Miami.

Can Pennington Hold Up?: While Chad Pennington was last year's comeback player of the year, there is always the question of his health. It's well known that Pennington has a noodle for a arm. But in the past Pennington has been injury prone. And at this point only Chad Henne and Pat White are the back up quarterbacks. And neither one of them have much NFL experience. This could be the Dolphins Achilles heel, if Pennington is injured during the season.

Newcomers to Watch: The Dolphins brought in a whole host of receivers in the off season. The one to watch will be Pat White. White killed the Big East with both his legs and arm throughout his career at West Virginia. Last season saw White dramatically improve his throwing skills. But look for White to be the do-it-all player for the Dolphins. I expect the Dolphins to use White as a quarterback, running back, receiver, and punt returner.

Also look for the Dolphins first overall draft choice Vontae Davis to make an impact in the secondary. Veteran cornerback Will Allen has taken Davis under his wing during training camp. If Davis can show more maturity than his cousin Vernon, look for him to have an immediate impact on the defense.

Schedule: Let's just say the NFL did the Dolphins no favors in the scheduling department. The Dolphins start off the season against three playoff teams in Atlanta, Indianapolis, and San Diego. They also play in New England and Buffalo late in the season when the weather will be at it's worst. It's not an easy schedule at all.

Prediction: 7-9/2nd AFC East. The schedule and the health of this team will be in question all season. The Dolphins have several veteran players who's health is always in question. Plus the unfavorable schedule won't make it any easier for them. Plus with New England, New York, and Buffalo all improving, I would look for Miami to take a step back this season.

Blame Peyton Manning and Chad Pennington

(Guest posted by James Craven of The O Files)

So, why are wondering that the Phillies and the Marlins are playing a four-game series that begins tonight (7/16) instad of a three game series tomorrow (7/17)? Simple, squatters' rights.

Let me explain. Last September when the baseball schedules came out, the Phillies and the Marlins were slated to have four off days following the All-Star Break. There were three games to have been played on September 21, 22 and 23 in Dolphin/Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphins/Dolphin/LandShark Stadium/Park/Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Fast forward to April, and the release of the 2009 NFL Schedule. September 21: Indianapolis Colts at Maimi Dolphins. Ruh-roh. The Dolphins own the stadum, and forced the Marlins to move that game to tonight, citing eniment domain (they own the stadium). The Marlins for the moment are renters until 2012 when their new park opens at Little Havana on the site of the old Orange Bowl Stadium, and change their name to the Miami Marlins.

There's your answer.

The Rhythm Is Going To Get The Miami Dolphins

Sticking with the theme of music that was introduced in a rather humerous way down below, it should be worht pointing out that Emilio Estefan and his much more famous wife, Gloira Estefan, are now part-owners of the Miami Dolphins! I really wish I was making this up. Via the Associated Press

Singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan, are buying a "very small" ownership stake in the NFL team, a person familiar with the deal said Monday. The person requested anonymity because the deal won't be announced until Thursday by owner Stephen Ross.

Seven-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan has had hits with Miami Sound Machine and as a solo artist. Ross began a partnership in May with Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville enterprise, which includes Land Shark Lager.

Buffett has yet to accept Ross' invitation to become a minority owner, but the Dolphins' stadium has been renamed Land Shark Stadium for this season. Buffett wrote a song for the team and will be featured at tailgate parties, Ross has said.

It's unclear whether the Estefans will have a role in Dolphins entertainment. Miami Sound Machine brought a fusion of Latin and pop to the American masses with hits such as "Conga" and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," and Emilio Estefan has also produced for such artists as Shakira and Ricky Martin.

The Estefans will be among the few Hispanics to hold an ownership stake in an NFL team. Gloria Estefan came to the United States at age 2 when her family fled Cuba shortly after Fidel Castro's revolution, and she has sold more than 90 million records.

As if it was not enough to make fun of Miami that their stadium is now named after Jimmy Buffet's beer, now Gloria Estefan is a part owner of a football team! Let me repeat that, Gloria Estefan has stake in an NFL franchise! Good grief, I think we have stumbled upon the apocalypse. Who's next, The Beach Boys? It's the next logical step, that's for sure. Logical, of course, being a relative term here.

The Marlins And The Dolphins No Longer Play At "Dolphins Stadium"

Keith's Sports Journal had a story on this last week and it was proposed that Dolphins Stadium could be renamed LandShark stadium. Well it turns out, that has become a reality. Yes, there actually is a stadium in the NFL named after a Jimmy Buffet beer! MLB.com has more.

When the Marlins return home from their six-game road trip, they will be entering a shark tank.

What's changed since the team embarked on their away swing to Colorado and Milwaukee is the name of their current home.

On Friday, Dolphin Stadium was officially renamed "LandShark Stadium," as part of a Miami Dolphins business partnership with singer Jimmy Buffett.

Land Shark Lager is a beer developed by Buffett, who is considering buying into the NFL's Dolphins, which are owned by Stephen Ross.

[...]

The name change to LandShark Stadium will last only through the remainder of the Marlins season and the 2009 NFL campaign. The 2010 Super Bowl will be played in Miami.

Since their inaugural 1993 season, the Marlins have shared their stadium with the Dolphins.

In 2012, the Marlins will be moving into their own retractable-roof ballpark on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami. Before that season, the franchise will be renamed the Miami Marlins.

The Miami Marlins??? As if a name change and a new stadium is going to get them to draw more than the dozens of fans they average now. But onto the stadium name change, well, wouldn't the Dolphins and the Marlins sort of object to playing in LandShark Stadium? Oh, and you can definitley expect me to forget about this and continue to call it Dolphins Stadium. The name LandShark just seems so forgettable, if you ask me.

The Fun Is Under Way

Well, it may be 12 hours before the official start of free agency, but we already have our first big move of the off-season, as the recently released Oakland free safety, Gibril Wilson has found a new home with the Miami Dolphins. Via Fox Sports.

The Miami Dolphins didn't wait until Friday's start of the free-agent signing period to address their need at strong safety.

Gibril Wilson has agreed to contract terms with the Dolphins, FOXSports.com has learned. The agreement is for a multiyear deal, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Seems like a logical move for the Dolphins to make. In 12-hours time, their two starting safeties from last year Yeremiah Bell and Renaldo Hill will be unrestricted free agents, so who knows if anyone of them will be back in Phinland next year.

FYI, I was hoping to have a running blog tomorrow of all of the days' events, but sadly it seems like that will not be the case. It's unlikely that I'll be around much of the day. Chances are though that I'll have a recap of the days events by the end of the night. The reason: IT'S SPRING BREAK, BABY!!!

Wildcard Preview Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins

What: A wildcard battle with two hot teams capable of running the table and advancing to Tampa.
Who: The Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins
Where: Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida
When: Sunday 1 PM EST
What Channel: CBS
Weather Forecast (As of 1/1): Partly cloudy, 77 degrees
Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Announcers' Talking Point of the Game: Yawn, I don't care, the Patriots, Steelers, and Brett Favre are not in this game.
Regular Season Meeting: Baltimore 27, Miami 13

I apologize ahead of time if this one seems a little shorter, but I do not have a lot of time right now. The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 last year. And you can bet your bottom dollar that Detroit this year made them feel so much better about their season last year as now everyone has forgotten about the 07 Dolphins. Going 11-5 this year also helped that. But back to the 1-15 season, if you remember that one game that the Dolphins did win last year was in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens. Coincidence indeed.

Of course the Ravens were by no means great last year. They were 5-11! However, drafting Joe Flacco out of Delaware certainly aided them this year. He has been very solid at the position and the Ravens could not be more happier with their draft day selection. The Ravens' running game will be a big factor in this one. Joe Flacco is playing in the biggest game of his young career and it will be necessary for Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain to take some of the pressure off him. Another key for the Ravens will be their defense, led by one of the greatest defensive leaders of all time and a sure-fire future hall-of-famer, Ray Lewis.

In the regular season meeting, the Dolphins came in with the wildcat formation and no one yet to stop it. The Ravens were the first team to do so. They stopped that formation cold and it may be up to Chad Pennington to air it out if the Dolphins want to have a chance.

Give me the Ravens winning a 17-14 defensive struggle.