Miami's new rockstar Nate Ness has traveled the NFL

Everyone is talking about the new shining stars of the NFL. Several young players put in incredible performances last weekend during most of the league's first pre-season games. Most notably, New York Giants rookie receiver Victor Cruz, scored three touchdowns in the 31 to 16 win over the New York Jets on Monday night football, including a one-handed well-defended catch which had the league buzzing.

The Miami Dolphins though, have a new superstar of their own in defensive back Nate Ness, who in the Dolphins' 10-7 win against Tampa, accumulated four tackles, successfully defended three passes, and forced two fumbles at critical times, including one in the red zone in the last three minutes of regulation.

However, the phenomenon who attended Arizona isn't a rookie; it's actually his second year in the league. He went undrafted in 2009 and was signed by the Browns as a free agent; and believe it or not, Miami is Ness' fourth stop in the NFL.

According to his biography on the Miami Dolphins' team website, after Ness was signed by Cleveland last year, he was released just two months later. Then a month later he was picked up by the New York Jets but then waived a mere 12 days later. Two days after that, he was signed by Seattle but, as luck would have it, he was released by the Seahawks just three days later.

Eventually Ness was signed by the Dolphins and here he is today, a player whom the Dolphins have needed who can cover the field well, tackle with amazing form, and can force turnovers.

Considering the moving Ness has done around the league in the past year, it's obvious why he is pushing so hard to make the squad this season. He'll have another chance to show off his skills Saturday night at 7:30p.m. eastern when the Dolphins visit the Jaguars. The game can be seen on CBS affiliate WFOR-TV.

Miami Dolphins Stay Positive Despite Injuries to Nate Garner and John Jerry

The bigger they are the harder they seem to fall, or in the case of Dolphins' guards Nate Garner and John Jerry, seem to get injured. Nate Garner, who is expected to back up Vernon Carey at the right offensive tackle spot, re-injured his left foot which is unfortunately the same foot he had surgery on during the off-season. According to a report by the Miami Herald, Garner may be out up to eight weeks after another medical procedure on that foot.

The rookie phenomenon John Jerry was also attacked by the injury bug. His right knee became extremely sore during Monday's practice. Jerry being the fighter he is tried to overcome the pain on Tuesday but his knee simply felt worse. He eventually felt better later on Tuesday and participated in drills but his injury is day to day.

Although the decision isn't final, Jerry is expected to start at the right offensive guard spot ahead of Corey Proctor. His enthusiasm and work ethic are just a few of the reasons why he's already gained a lot of respect in the locker room. The third round pick out of Ole Miss is expected to be back at full strength by the time the Dolphins play the Jacksonville Jaguars in a road game Saturday night. The game will be aired live on CBS affiliate WFOR-TV at 7:30p.m. eastern.

Elsewhere in the Miami Dolphins preseason storyline, the team has just signed guard Randy Thomas formerly of the Washington Redskins to compete for time at guard.

Unfortunately, in order to make room for Thomas, wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen was waived. He was signed as a free agent in early January.

Percy Harvin Passes Out During Practice: Something's Got to Give

Percy Harvin passed out at a Minnesota practice today after feeling dizzy and meeting with a team doctor. He was loaded into an ambulance without blaring sirens and the situation according to a report by the Associated Press appeared somber. The wide receiver out of Florida who had an amazing rookie season has dealt with migraines all his life; a situation which cost him to miss an incredible amount of practice recently.

It is without a doubt that football fans all across the NFL want to see Percy Harvin play. He's an explosive monster and when he gets loose in the open field, he's truly special to watch. But this recent bout with the migraines he has suffered with all his life really seems like it's taking a toll on the young player.

The truth of the matter is doctors have been unable to identify a solution to these migraines and for the long term safety of Harvin, he should perhaps take some time off and meet with multiple-and I mean multiple specialists from across the country to figure out what the issue is with his health.

According the the report by the Associated Press, after Harvin met with the team doctor he returned to practice but could be seen trembling and then began to be moving back and forth as if he was about to fall over. His teammates surrounded him and emergency medical specialists were called immediately. The Vikings called practice early and there's no word yet on his condition.

The offensive rookie of the year caught 60 passes and eight touchdowns last season. He became the first Minnesota player ever to catch touchdown passes in each of his first three games.

Brandon Marshall: NBA Aspirations

The Chinese philosopher Confucius once wrote, "A man who does not think and plan ahead will find trouble right at his door." Well Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is sure following that train of thought as he's already considered a plan B just in case the NFL is forced into a lockout in 2011. Marshall who lettered three years as a high school basketball shooting guard, told the media last Thursday if the NFL is unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the players association by next year, he'll try to get a workout with the Denver Nuggets or the Miami Heat.

Marshall is perhaps Miami's most prized acquisition this off-season. The club gave up two second round picks and signed him to a hefty 47.5 million dollar extension. So the Dolphins' front office was probably unhappy upon hearing of Marshall's comments considering the rough time he gave the Broncos last summer admist concerns over his contract and Denver's medical staff's misdiagnosis of his hip injury which eventually required surgery.

Marshall smiled Thursday as he told the media of his hoop dreams. He talked about how great of a shooter he is and how he has a 37-inch vertical leap. The Dolphins however are only concerned about how he'll perform on the gridiron this season. He's the highest paid receiver in NFL history and is expected to be a deep threat-adding depth to a receiving core which ranked 29th in the league for total yards per catch last season. There's much to be admired of his desire to ensure job security considering if there is a lockout, more than 1500 NFL players will be out of work. Whether or not he actually makes it on an NBA team is an entirely different story.

The New Big Three to Face the Old Big Three: Miami Unveils Season Schedule

The 2010-11 season schedule was released this week and first off to face the new big three of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are the defending eastern conference champion Boston Celtics.

The Heat will face the Celtics on the road on Tuesday October 26th. It'll be a match-up of the new big three versus the old big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, a squad which brought Boston the NBA title in 2008 and nearly brought the squad the title last season.


The "decision" by Lebron James to join the Miami Heat this off-season has brewed a firestorm from those overjoyed he chose to come to South Beach and critics who believe his career would have fared better in Cleveland instead of playing on what many call a super team. Nevertheless the Heat do in fact have one of the best if not the best team in the NBA and in two months Boston may have some trouble trying to trump a team which includes three of the top leaders in player efficiency.

NBA analyst and former coach Jeff Van Gundy was recently quoted as saying that Miami has the potential to surpass Chicago's 73 win season.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade even had to apologize about a month ago for suggesting that if Miami were to even lose 2 games back-to-back it would be equivalent to the shock of the 9/11 world trade center disaster. However it is fitting that Boston, the team that inspired the phrase big three will face off against the new super big three which is a team in Miami that could potentially dominate the league for years to come. To view the full schedule click on the following link http://www.nba.com/heat/schedule/.

Tiger Woods: Finally Faces the Public

Tiger Woods walked up to a podium early Friday and addressed a national audience to once again apologize for his infidelities. He apologized to fans, his business partners, and his sponsors. The richest golfer in the world talked about continuing his charitable efforts and also talked about his stay in sex therapy for cheating on his wife. He spoke about understanding why the press wants to know details of his life but made it clear those issues would be solely between he and his wife.

He spoke at great length about wanting to protect his family and criticized the paparazzi for following his family including his children and mother everywhere they went. He made a plea to the media to leave his family alone.

Woods defended his wife, Elin Nordegren, saying she never attacked him or touched him during the Thanksgiving incident when he ran into the tree with his SUV.

Then he began talking about Buddhism which was the religion he was taught as a child. He talked about drifting away from his religion and wanting to go back to his early teachings. Then he went into detail about what he learned in sex therapy which included relying on his religion and friends.

Woods answered what his golf fans wanted to hear which is that he plans to return to golf but he didn't give a exact time but said it may be in 2010. He apologized to his fellow golfers for holding the press conference during the same weeked the Accenture tournament will take place. He then asked the audience and viewers if they could one day believe in him again. After he finished speaking he hugged his mother.

Obviously what he said was well scripted and was devised to suit his wide purpose which was a plea for forgiveness from everyone. Clearly he wants to restore his image and I think he's well on his way. He appeared to come across as genuine despite the fact he was obviously rehearsed. But he was subdued and humble even when he was asking the media to leave his family alone. I believe the plea for his family resonated with a lot of people because he was very sincere. He was smart in that he didn't attack the media but rather respectfully revealed how his actions allowed his family to be negatively impacted by the mainstream press.

I think he did a great job although it was obviously staged and orchestrated. But I'm positive he didn't garner too much sympathy because at the end of the day, Tiger Woods has earned 100 million dollars from golf earning plus more from endorsements. I'm sure some of the companies may return to backing him; that's obvious. He has some work to do with rebuilding his family but I'm sure he won't have a problem with that. People won't forget about his infidelities but I don't think it'll matter. A year from now I suspect this will be a non-story and Woods will categorically return to form on and off the course and will always be considered the best golfer that has ever lived.

Darrell Green: The Fastest Baby Boomer Alive and Still Healthy

On February 15th of this year NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green turned 50. Shortly after, according to his twitter account, he became the fastest baby boomer alive. Green claimed to have run the 40 yard dash in 4.43 seconds on his birthday. Who should doubt him? The answer is no one. He won all of the NFL fastest man competitions he entered; and ten years ago at age 40 he made headlines for running a tad bit faster forty time of 4.2.

Green is a two time Super Bowl champ and 7 time pro bowler whose storied career reads like 50 pages from the Guiness Book of World Records. Most of his records made prominent because of the 20 years he spent in the league. He holds the record for most career interceptions and most interceptions returned by a Redskins player in history. He holds the record for most games played by a defensive player in league history and at age 40, he signed a five year contract with Washington, a team he played with his entire NFL career.

But the story here is much bigger than the fact that Green can run a faster time than almost everyone half his age. The story here is a more positive story than the ones NFL fans have heard in the past few years. Green like Brett Favre, Warren Moon and Deion Sanders who've played long and illustrious career in the league and are in top physical condition for their age, are simply a rarity and should be celebrated.

In 2011, the NFL is expected to have a lockout as they try to figure out a new plan to split the revenue between owners and players. Other issues being discussed include how much dough to fork over to retired players especially the ones with health issues related or unrelated to football. For years now it's become widely accepted that players in the league are susceptible to health problems later on in life as a result of the physical nature of the sport. This problem became more of a serious issue when Hall of Famer Reggie White passed away at age 43 in 2004 of a cardiac arrhythmia. Many players have also suffered from heart problems and concussions. The most unexpected case occurred this year when All American defensive end Gaines Adams died of a heart attack at age 26.

So while NFL owners bicker back and forth with the players' union about shrinking profits, I hope providing substantive health benefits to retired players isn't pushed aside. In the meantime when you hear a story about a 50 year old beast running a 4.43 40 yard dash, all you can do is chuckle or think what the.......???