FanHouse

The Miami Dolphins have traded quarterback Josh McCown to the Carolina Panthers, Fox Sports is reporting.

There is no word on what compensation the Dolphins got for McCown, but it couldn't have been much, considering that they were probably going to release him before tomorrow's mandatory roster cut-down.

The Dolphins gave McCown a $2.5 million signing bonus this year, but when they acquired Chad Pennington they no longer had need for the veteran as a backup. In Carolina he'll serve as a backup to Jake Delhomme; a backup to Delhomme became a more pressing need for Carolina when Matt Moore was hurt.

The move apparently means that John Beck's job is safe in Miami.

Former Marshall quarterback, Byron Leftwich, is known for his strong arm and reverse-fast-pitch windup. Another alum, Chad Pennington, drafted three years before Leftwich, is also known for a certain passing-related peculiarity. Namely: his deadly accurate popcorn arm.

Yep, Pennington can knock a bottle off a fence post, just so long as it's no more than 10 yards away. Actually, it's hardly news that the Dolphins' newest quarterback has a weak(er than NFL average) noodle; that scouting report has been following him around for as long as he's played football. But now, entering his ninth NFL season, Pennington has a request: please shut up about it.

''The perception is that way because I never defended myself -- I just let people talk,'' he said in a private moment last week. ''But it's perception -- it's not reality. You get tired of hearing about it.''

But the story has taken on a life of its own. Legend has it that Pennington needs a cut-off man on nine routes, but that's a slight exaggeration.

Though Brett Favre hasn't felt shy about speaking on his behalf, we still don't know exactly what Laveranues Coles thinks about the team's decision to release Chad Pennington. That's because Coles hasn't said anything. And in the process, a lot of things have been said about him and his motivations.

But Pennington says that Coles' refusal to speak is not born out of anger or petulance, that he's simply misunderstood.

"He's an extremely loyal guy. That's what has made him great in the league, and it's taken him a long way in life.

... But once the games start and the whistle blows, he'll play hard for the Jets. I don't think anybody can ever question that."
...
"[Coles' silent treatment] is not something that I would make too big a deal of."

By all accounts the only people Coles isn't speaking to is the media (despite reports that he briefly left the team's hotel in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago in anger). And Pennington's right -- Coles will not let his play diminish because his feelings are hurt.

Though you have to wonder if he wishes he didn't sign a new deal earlier this offseason which precludes him from trying to force his way to Miami.

It's a funny thing to see Joe Horn humbled. He is, after all, the guy that once pulled a cell phone out of the goal post padding and pretended to make a telephone call as a touchdown celebration. (Aside: very innovative idea, for sure, but was it that awesome? I always felt that compared with something like Terrell Owens' Sharpie move, it was pretty lame.)

Point being that Horn is not what you would call "quiet" or "modest". So finding out that his agent has called every single team in the NFL trying to land Joe a job, well, that's kind of funny.

Although the agent for newly available wide receiver Joe Horn has contacted the Dolphins to gauge their potential interest in the former Falcons pass catcher, there's no reason to get over anxious about any imminent signing.

The agent, Ralph Vitolo, also contacted 31 other teams. Yes, every one other than the Falcons, who released Horn on Tuesday.

[...]Vitolo has reached out to the Dolphins, but no conversations have taken place. Vitolo sent the team an e-mail and also left a message. He hopes to speak with Miami later tonight.

Let me be perfectly clear about one thing: if you have left a message and an email for the Miami Dolphins to give you a job and you haven't heard back, you are desperate, friend.

I don't care when you expect a call back, it's tough to be in a worse spot than that. Now, Horn will probably end up somewhere. There are, plenty of jokes about the Chicago receiving corps aside, plenty of teams that could use a wily, somewhat surehanded slot guy.

Via PFT

John Beck remains in Miami, but his teammate up to about 20 minutes ago is now a Cleveland Brown. Cornerback Travis Daniels was sent to the great state of Ohio to bolster the Browns' almost-non-existent secondary and the Dolphins got an undisclosed draft pick for their troubles.

MDS at PFT writes that Daniels, a 2005 fourth-round pick and Nick Saban favorite, started just six games in '06 and five games last season and was in danger of getting cut in the coming weeks. Browns general manager Phil Savage couldn't wait around for that to happen, however; the team's secondary is in shambles, beset by injuries and inexperience. So while Daniels provides a warm body, it comes at a cost.

If the compensation is from the 2009 draft, it means the Browns will be without three choices in next year's draft. The team previously had surrendered its third-round and fifth-round selections to move up in 2008 for Martin Rucker and Paul Hubbard, respectively....

The Browns' backup cornerbacks have not exactly sparkled in training camp and two exhibition games and starter Eric Wright was victimized Monday night by the New York Giants' fifth-string receiver.

Next up: getting Joshua Cribbs and Derek Anderson healthy. And finding a way to keep the opponent's first team from hanging 30 on you is sorta important, too.

John Beck's days in Miami appear to be numbered, and how soon he takes up residence elsewhere has everything to do with with what the Dolphins can get for him in a trade. After signing veteran journeyman Josh McCown this offseason, Beck, the team's 2007 second-round pick is apparently no longer in the front office's plans.

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson has the latest scuttlebutt on the guy who was supposedly the face of the franchise nine months ago.

The Dolphins continue to shop John Beck and indicated they would like a fourth-round pick in return but are unlikely to get that, an NFC executive said this week.

''I could see them getting a late-round pick, maybe conditional,'' a second NFC executive said. ''Last year was a disaster and he [turns] 27'' on Thursday. As perspective, one official noted Cleveland received a sixth-rounder last September from Seattle for former starter Charlie Frye, the 67th pick of the 2005 draft. Beck was drafted 40th in 2007.

Wow, Beck's already being compared to Charlie Frye? Why not just call him Mittens and start shoveling dirt on the grave? To be fair, I understand why teams might be hesitant to part with something more than a late-round pick for Beck -- he's unproven and relatively old -- but this is the latest reminder of how fragile the average NFL existence is.

One minute you're the starting quarterback of a one-win team, the next minute you're in danger of getting cut. Okay, bad example.

Last night, in the minutes before the Giants put the smackdown on the Browns, ESPN's Chris Mortensen "reported" that the Dolphins might start the season without their 2005 first-round pick, running back Ronnie Brown. I say "reported" not to point out that Mortensen has a spotty track record when it comes to breaking stories, but because the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero has a theory as to what's really going on.

After hearing Mortensen on Monday Night Countdown's "Sink or Swim" segment, here's what Salguero wrote on his Dolphins in Depth blog:

Mortensen was asked about Ricky Williams and while talking about how he would "swim," he went on to say that the Dolphins are so pleased with Williams he "would not be surprised if Ronnie Brown sinks," to the point where "he is playing with another team this season."

Mortensen's reason for Brown being out of here is that the player is "struggling" this preseason. Wow. ...

I would think if Mort, an outstanding reporter by any measure one uses, had the story nailed, he would have come stronger than he just did. I think it would have been his lead comment, not following the Williams sink or swim bunk.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: The Brett Favre Fallout ended up with Chad Pennington coming to Miami. Good thing, because the Dolphins didn't have a quarterback on their roster. Well, technically they did ... but when you are having a three-man race to figure out who might be able to handle the job ... you have no QB. Pennington gives Miami what they need: an experienced, accurate passer. He's a winner, but not the kind of guy who makes those dynamic plays. Right now, they don't have great receivers, either, so a guy that can hit his target is key. Chad Henne may be the future ... but that's what we thought about John Beck last year. Heat Index: 4

Running backs: This is the biggest strength of this offense. During their 1-15 season last year, the fact that Ronnie Brown was having an outstanding season was lost on many people. Brown was worthy of a Pro Bowl spot before he tore his ACL in mid-season. All indications are that he's healed. Brown will share duties with Ricky Williams. Yep, he's back and he's bad! I can't believe I'm saying this, but Ricky has been a model teammate. He's basically lived at the Dolphins complex, is in supreme physical shape and could get back to his pre-retirement form. Of course, that is all the good. The bad is that your steadiest part of the team involves a guy with a major knee injury and another who is now 31, barely has played over the last several seasons, already has two strikes and is unreliable. At least he's not on the hippie lettuce anymore. Heat Index: 7

Last week, the Dolphins released kicker Jay Feely, presumably, because he wasn't very good at his job. Feely told the Miami Herald that he had prepared his family for such an eventuality, saying that "I had a feeling from the day Parcells got hired that this was going to be the case.'' John Beck feels your pain, sir.

But it wasn't enough for Feely to get cut and get on with his life. Nope, he had to take a few parting shots on his way out the door. You know, because that's how kickers roll. Or something.

Some players weren't happy with former Dolphins kicker Jay Feely's comment that ''you can see the lack of talent that still exists'' here. ''He was part of the lack of talent we got rid of!'' [Channing] Crowder said. Vonnie Holliday called Feely's comment ``kind of Tiki Barber-ish . . . Now that you're no longer [here], you downgrade us? I would expect a little more from that guy.''

Crowder makes a good point. It's not like Feely was exactly kicking game-winning field goals on a weekly basis last season. I know, it helps to have an offense that can actually get past midfield when trying to best utilize the kicker, but it seems like an odd remark for a kicker, a position most players don't even consider part of the team.

Whatever, Holliday busting out the "you sound just like Tiki Barber" should be enough to shame Feely into silence.

As the world quit spinning to watch Brett Favre take the field with the Jets for the first time last night, another quarterback was making his debut with a new team. Coincidentally, it was the same guy that was run out of New York to make room on the roster for The World's Most Selfish Player.

Yep, Chad Pennington started for the Dolphins, and for all the fanfare surrounding Favre, Pennington had just as impressive an outing in Miami.

Chad Pennington got off on the right foot with his new Dolphins teammates, completing 5-of-6 passes for 55 yards and a 104.9 quarterback rating while playing into the second quarter. After missing on his first throw, Pennington completed his final five and led the Dolphins to their first touchdown drive of the exhibition season

Rookie second-rounder Chad Henne took over for Pennington in the second quarter and played the rest of the game. Which means that John Beck and Josh McCown, quarterbacks Nos. 3 and 4 depending on who's making out the depth chart, didn't get off the bench.

PFT speculates that the Dolphins will keep McCown, signed during the Bill Parcells regime, and cut/trade Beck, who was drafted by Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron. The Palm Beach Post's Ben Volin writes that both McCown and Beck participated in the quarterbacks meetings after each offensive possession, "but Beck mostly stood by himself on the sidelines."

No idea what that means other than Beck seems to be very, very sad.