Jason Taylor danced his way into the Hollywood elite with his "Dancing with the Stars" success, but it looks as though he could be entering his last dance with the Dolphins.
Dolphins coach
Tony Sparano blurted out Wednesday that Taylor wasn't going to show up to training camp. Sparano was relating his interpretation of a meeting with Taylor back in January when the defensive end wondered if he should be with the Dolphins, a team trying to rebuild with youth.
Remember, the Dolphins did shop him around at draft time. Taylor still wants to play football, but he's so hot coming off "Dancing With the Stars," he has a lot of interest from movie studios, which he is obviously going to pursue.
He's not out the door of the Dolphins yet but he's dancing his way out.
It's pretty clear what Bill Parcells will do with Taylor while he is away from the team. He'll fine him heavily for missing mandatory work. It still doesn't make a lot of sense for the Dolphins to trade him for just a fourth-round pick. He's too valuable. Parcells is one hot Tuna.
Jets tryouts: The Jets continue to look to strengthen their backfield. On Wednesday, they had Ravens running back Musa Smith in for a visit. Smith has the ability to play fullback or halfback. The Jets plan to run the ball a lot this year.
Deals irk vets: NFLPA president Kevin Mawae is voicing the opinion of most veterans around the NFL that the rookie pool isn't working. Matt Ryan, a rookie, shouldn't be making more than Tom Brady, the thinking goes. But Gene Upshaw isn't going to fix the rookie pool without getting something big from the owners in return. He believes the big contracts given to the top players in the draft have a trickle-down effect on veteran contracts.
Jake Long, the first pick, received more than $10 million per year from the Dolphins. Now, veteran left tackles can ask for $10 million per year because of that. As far as Upshaw is concerned, the rookie pool isn't going to be changed.
Owners' profit dropping: The NFLPA said owners were making $30 million per year per team in operating income in 2006 before the extension of the CBA. Since then, the figure has dropped to $18 million per team. Operating income doesn't include interest a team might be paying.
Upshaw's best line Wednesday was in response to owners' complaints that are in financial stress. "Why don't they just take a pill?" he asked.
John Clayton
