It's there for the taking

The notion that Jason Allen's contract talks finally could gain momentum ran into a huge obstacle Monday called the Dolphins' negotiating stance.
The team apparently is not budging.
There was optimism -- at least from the Allen camp -- late Sunday that there would be progress with the rookie safety because the St. Louis Rams signed cornerback Tye Hill to a five-year contract. With Hill, the 15th player taken in the draft, signing for five years, it could be argued that Allen, the 16th player taken, conceivably could get a five-year deal instead of the six years the Dolphins want.
''It really doesn't matter,'' coach Nick Saban said of the Rams' contract with Hill. ``That was their choice. We got our choices. We're going to run our business the way we run our business.''
SLOTTING METHOD
The business of the first round typically is run by a slotting method. The higher pick sets the bargaining table for the pick behind. But this year's collective bargaining extension also says teams can sign players picked in the top 16 spots to six-year deals.
''To be honest with you, there's not a whole lot in this collective bargaining agreement -- advantages that the club has,'' Saban said. ``Those are gone now. But it does say that the first 16 guys in the draft can sign six-year contracts, so that's one the club has. Still.
``So what happened before or what some other club chooses to do philosophically doesn't determine what we're going to do. Is that right? That's how I look at it.''
Allen's camp might argue that because several players selected before their client -- Michael Huff, Ernie Sims and Hill -- signed five-year deals, their player should also. But agent Mitch Frankel, who represents Allen, did not return phone messages Monday to make that point.
It all means Allen has missed five practices so far. And while he is away from the team, sixth-year veteran Travares Tillman is happily working toward taking Allen's starting job.
''I can't control any of that,'' Tillman said. ``I can only go out every day and practice the way I've been practicing, and hopefully my play will show that I should be the starter.''
MADE 10 STARTS
Tillman started 10 games last season, but the Dolphins would be more comfortable with him as an experienced, dependable backup and Allen as the higher-pedigree, more explosive starter.
That cannot be the case now with Allen unsigned. And it might not be the case immediately after Allen signs, because earning a starting job is no easy task for a rookie.
''If you come in and are a first-year player, it's pretty complicated,'' safety Yeremiah Bell said.
``There's a lot of things that go along with our defense. [Allen] might need a little time with that, but he'll have all us helping him, so he'll be OK.''
But the help is limited during games, when players are more concerned with taking care of their own assignments.
''When stuff starts moving on the field and calls change and your mind starts racing, that's when you really need to know [the defense],'' Bell said.
And Allen will have to know his fellow safety. He worked with strong safety Renaldo Hill during organized team activity days, but Hill and Tillman worked together longer.
Hill believes that while Allen is trying to increase his value, the time he is missing also is to be prized.
''It's very valuable,'' Hill said of the practice time Allen is missing. ``That's where all the teaching begins. You might miss if you come in a little later. You might miss on some of the things, and the coaches, they'll hit on it later.
``But you won't get the same detail you get from Day One.''

Culpepper takes field for start of Dolphins' camp

Huge air-conditioning vents in the Miami Dolphins' new indoor practice building blew with gale force, which meant Daunte Culpepper was throwing against the wind when he heaved the longest pass of practice.
It traveled 50 yards, catching receiver Chris Chambers in stride along the sideline and near the vents with midseason accuracy.Clearly Culpepper's arm is fine. And his knee is improving all the time.
The Dolphins' new quarterback took the field for the start of training camp Saturday, nine months after a right knee injury ended his 2005 season.
"So far, everything is a thumbs-up," Culpepper said. "I had visions when I got hurt to be here today to start training camp, and I still have visions to be ready for the first game."
The opener against Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh is Sept. 7, less than six weeks away. Given the speedy pace of Culpepper's recovery, he may be ready.
"We're encouraged by the progress he has made," coach Nick Saban said. "It has all been a pleasant surprise for us."
Culpepper wasn't the only new addition to make a favorable first impression. Because of a downpour shortly after the Dolphins took the field, they tried out their new $9 million indoor practice building sooner than planned.
Saban wants to work outside as much as possible to acclimate his players to the South Florida heat, but he was glad to find refuge from the heavy rain.
"With this facility, you just take the weather out of the mix, and you can always stay on the schedule you want to stay on," he said.
Camp began with only one player unsigned _ first-round draft pick Jason Allen, projected to start at safety. He seeks a five-year contract, while the team wants to lock him up for six years.
In 2005, top pick Ronnie Brown missed the first three weeks of camp in a holdout. Last March, owner Wayne Huizenga said he would insist that none of his team's draft picks miss the beginning of camp.
"There's a business part of this game we're not going to air out publicly," Saban said. "We're going to focus on the players that are here."
Saban's mood was otherwise upbeat. He said players reported in much better shape than for his first camp with Miami a year ago, and he praised the efficiency of the opening workout _ a considerable undertaking with more than 100 players and coaches scattered across the field in various drills.
At the center of it all was Culpepper, who tore three ligaments in his knee last season with Minnesota and was traded in March. There were projections that his recovery could take a year or more, but there he was running plays with the first team, sporting a knee brace the training staff talked him into wearing.
Culpepper said he felt no pain or limitations in his movement, and he plans to take part in every workout, even on days when the team practices twice.
"Daunte is excited," Brown said. "It's kind of like a kid in a candy store, him having an opportunity to be on the field again. When you have a guy like that leading your team, it rubs off on everybody else."
Tests grade the strength of Culpepper's right knee at only 85 to 90 percent of his left knee, he said, and he knows better than to push his comeback too quickly. When he broke free on a scramble, he moved through the secondary at a trot rather than a sprint, and while he wore a helmet and shoulder pads, he and the other quarterbacks were off limits to contact.
But Saban said he saw improvement in Culpepper's movement and quickness since the final offseason practice seven weeks ago. And Culpepper drew satisfaction simply from stepping onto the field for the start of camp.
"Every day I heard people say, `He's not going to be ready,'" Culpepper said. "I was ready to show that the hard work I've put forth is paying off."

Divorce won't affect Dolphins' locker room

Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor says his marital problems won't spill over into the locker room, even though his brother-in-law is teammate Zach Thomas.
Katina Taylor, Thomas' sister, has filed for divorce from Taylor.
"As far as the question about the locker room, to be quite frank, I think it's ridiculous to me that anyone would even think that," Taylor said. "We're professionals, guys."
The Taylors married in 2001 and have three children.
Last week, coach Nick Saban said he didn't anticipate that Taylor's relationship with Thomas would become an issue for the team.
"The guys involved in this situation are as professional as you can get in terms of how they represent this organization, in how they respect one another, in how they played together in the past and handled any circumstances they had to deal with any time in their career, including now," Saban said. "I think they have a tremendous amount of respect for each other as professionals."