When the media reports on comments from Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, it is often because he has inserted his foot directly into his mouth. Whether he's confusing Helen Keller with Anne Frank or mocking New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, reporters can count on Crowder for an off-the-wall quote to liven things up.

But this week Crowder said the most shocking thing of all (for him, at least): a thoughtful, well-reasoned comment on the effect of the ongoing NFL lockout.

"There's going to be more injuries, it's going to be real simple football," Crowder told the Sun-Sentinel of the NFL's future post-lockout. He added the lockout will "mess up the integrity of the game because we're used to having those OTA's, minicamps, off-season workouts ... it's hurting the NFL now and as long as the owners won't let us go to work it's going to continue to hurt the game we love."

Thanks to Ray Lewis' recent prediction that crime will rise during the lockout, Crowder's comments seem even more sensible.

All kidding aside, Crowder rightly notes that rookies will suffer the most from time lost due to the lockout, saying, "Those [rookies] should be in [team training facilities] right now" learning their playbooks and becoming acquainted with their new teammates.

He bemoaned the fact that running back Daniel Thomas, the Dolphins' 2011 second-round pick, "should be able to be taking handoffs from Chad Henne, knowing how Jake Long is going to slide the protection ... but now he's just out here working out [at an unofficial players' workout] and he might know three of his teammates."

The Dolphins have had a hard enough time coming up with a competent offense in the past few years. Reducing the time new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has to implement his system will surely result in some sloppy football from Miami this season (but at least they will have a decent excuse for it this time!)

As for Crowder, he says the lockout has not affected him much since he knows what he has to do to get prepared for the season. We can only hope this means he'll resume lobbing verbal volleys at Rex Ryan any day now.

David Hill is a Miami native who secretly hopes the NFL lockout will keep the Dolphins from disappointing him yet again in 2011.