With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet The ... Team who invented the Wildcat formation! Cue all sorts of zeal from the dramatic broadcasters. Of course, the formation has actually been around for decades, we just hadn't seen a ton of usage in the NFL until the Dolphins seemed to perfect it -- peaking with Ronnie Brown's ridiculous game against the Patriots.
The Dolphins have a careful quarterback, two solid runners, a good, young receiving corps, and have added a great all-around athlete via draft. It might be tough to predict who is going to consistency amass yardage, but we know one thing: They are going to be fun to watch.
So, why did a team who ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense draft a defensive player in the first round?
Because Brian Orakpo fell to the 13th pick, was one of the most versatile defensive players in the draft, and improves an area where the Redskins were lacking. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache doesn't blitz, but that doesn't mean the Redskins couldn't use some pressure on the quarterback. That's (presumably, though we can't really be sure with Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder at the helm) why they coughed up a second-round draft pick for Jason Taylor. With injuries hampering Taylor, the Redskins managed only a paltry 24 sacks.
The Dallas Cowboys are shopping outside linebacker Greg Ellis, multiple sources told FanHouse on Thursday. Ellis is one of the most trusted defenders the team has, but it would like to push 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer into a starting role.
Ellis is in the last year of his contract and if released, is owed $1.5 million by the Cowboys as part of a contractually agreed upon settlement.
Dallas is serious about a potential move because on Thursday, the final day of this week's organized team activities, the team sent Ellis home, not allowing him to practice. The Cowboys did this last year during some OTAs, and coach Wade Phillips said then it was to not wear Ellis down. He turns 34 in August.
After an injury-filled, $8 million season in Washington, Jason Taylor was back on the free-agent market this spring. Several teams needing a pass rusher showed interest, including the Patriots, who had previously traded veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs.
Taylor ended up in Miami, where he started his career and played for 10 seasons. It was one of the few examples of a player turning down a chance to join the Pats; head coach and evil genius Bill Belichick has an incredible knack for convincing free agents -- through Charles Manson-styled brainwashing, no doubt -- to come to Foxboro. Not this time.
After a paid holiday in DC last year, Jason Taylor is back in Miami, where he spent the first 10 years of his career. But at 34, his role has changed. Taylor is no longer the focus of the defense, the pass-rushing specialist who averaged nearly 12 sacks a season during his time with the Dolphins.
Instead, he'll be used sparingly, in an effort to keep him fresh, healthy, and productive. Via the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero:
Taylor, the defensive end who was traded from the Dolphins to the Redskins last year, will re-sign with Miami, The Sun-Sentinel is reporting. The move comes as something of a surprise, as Taylor and Dolphins front office boss Bill Parcells were widely believed to be at odds. But whatever differences the two had, they've apparently found a way to bury the hatchet. ESPN is reporting that Taylor agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal. His contract with the Redskins would have paid him $8.5 million if he had played in Washington this season.
But since this is Favre, can we really be sure he won't change his mind? And since quarterback isn't exactly a position at which NFL teams are overflowing with depth of talent, can we really be sure nobody will be interested if he does? No. Of course we can't. And so, with that in mind and your Saturday morning breakfast still warm, we hereby present the Five Teams That Could (Theoretically) Go Back Down the Agonizingly Painful Brett Favre Road in 2009:
It seemed Braylon Edwards had weathered the worst of it. Speculation had the Browns trading him out of Cleveland by draft weekend, yet four days later, he's still on the roster.
Maybe head coach Eric Mangini thought Edwards could find his '07 Pro Bowl form (maybe). Or perhaps general manager George Kokonis scared off potential suitors by asking for too much in return (more likely).
Bill Parcells has a history of being aggressive, and the results suggest he knows what he's doing. He's taken five different teams to the playoffs as either a coach or front-office type, and is the NFL equivalent of Mr. WhiteWinston Wolfe: he solves problems.
He took the Dolphins from a one-win outfit in 2007 to AFC East champs a year later. And if he thinks Pat White is a special player, I'm not going to argue with him.
On Day 1 of the Draft, the Dolphins selected Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis with the 25th pick, and double-downed with White a round later (44th overall). Davis has been described as a top-10 talent, but character issues saw him drop to the end of the first round. But if there's anybody who can keep Davis in check it's Parcells.
Although the Dolphins had a huge need in the secondary, White might be the best value pick in this draft.
Apparently, the Buccaneers were considering the prospects of making a run at Jason Taylor before the Redskins released him. And now that he's a free man, word on the street is that Tampa Bay will make a concerted effort to sign the 34-year-old "Dancing With the Stars" ... star.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
So, why did a team who ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense draft a defensive player in the first round? 
The 
After an injury-filled, $8 million season in Washington, 
After a paid holiday in DC last year, 
Because what would any of us have to gain by letting this 
It seemed 
