Dolphins "Trade" Brent and Miko Grimes for Alterraun Verner

    Some players have that "it" factor.  They show up larger than life on game day and find a way to make the sort of plays that win games and change seasons.  Alterraun Verner is such a player.  The new Dolphins CB (and I don't say slot corner for a reason- he can end up finding a job anywhere in the unit) electrified crowds at UCLA, in Tennessee, and in Tampa.  He has ball instincts that are alarmingly good, and makes catches that other corners drop.  He is also freakishly athletic once the ball is in his hands, and can find a seam and disappear.
    Tampa Bay needed to make room for a young player on the rise (Hargreaves) and they feel that Brent Grimes can still lock down the other side of the field.  So the Dolphins pick up a player who is suddenly expendable for cap reasons.  A player who is quiet, except in his play.  A player who will do his job and create no distractions.
     When Grimes left, I was in despair about the state of our secondary.  We had let so many talented players go at that position, it seemed we would never get it right.  An intelligent trade with Philadelphia, a surprisingly successful retread of a receiver, and an excellent second round draft pick already had the Dolphins looking sharp.  Now with Verner, we are five veterans deep, and a highly touted third round pick (Cordrea Tankersley) will likely watch from the sidelines.
     Tampa made its choice.  We made ours.  I like ours better.  We got noisy on the field and quiet everywhere else.  The job this staff has done retooling the secondary is truly exceptional.  When the Dolphins are the state of Florida's lone representative in the playoffs, it will be because of personnel moves like this one.

Jay Lopez