You know how the Dolphins do: two steps forward, two steps back.
Less than a day after the team signed coveted inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, one of the most important positions in the Dolphins' 3-4 defense is now just a question mark as the NFL has slapped lovable veteran nose tackle Jason Ferguson with an 8-game suspension for violating the performance enhancing drug policy.
(The Dolphins make me cry, indeed.)
The suspension leaves the 35-year-old's future in the NFL very much in doubt, and throws a curveball into the Dolphins' draft plans. Ferguson has been rehabbing a quad injury sustained in November with an eye to returning for one more season; he said at the time it was either remain with Miami or retire.
Now that he'll miss half the regular season right off the bat, will the Dolphins even bother bringing him back?
Unclear. But fortunately, the Fins have been looking to bolster their nose tackle talent in the draft anyway. Paul Soliai, Ferg's backup, was no one's idea of a long-term solution, and the class of 2010 features some top-notch talent like Tennesee's Dan Williams, Alabama's d-cup darling Terrence Cody (bonus: can empty pools for cleaning), and North Carolina's Cam Thomas.
If Bill Parcells wasn't planning on taking any of the three with the Fins' first-round pick, he sure might be now.
Sports
As for the case against Ferguson, the NFL didn't offer details as to what substance he supposedly abused or when. He was suspended once before in 1999 after testing positive for a banned substance called Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. Though he vehemently denied the charge, saying it must have stemmed from a dietary supplement, the suspension was upheld on appeal.
