Just three days after DT Ndamukong Suh "signed his record-breaking contract, the Dolphins were already seeking a return on their unprecedented investment," as the team took out a newspaper ad on Saturday "encouraging fans to buy tickets for the upcoming season," according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. The ad "subtly reflected the team’s measured approach to marketing their new superstar -- he’s going to be a face of the franchise, not the face of the franchise." It was not Suh "alone in the ad; it also featured the team’s three other new additions" -- TE Jordan Cameron, CB Brice McCain and WR Kenny Stills. Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said, "(Suh) will certainly be a part of what we put out there, (but) the theme is the same. It’s about the team first. He’s a player that makes the team better. ... We’ll continue to market the team and all the players." He added, "There’s been a lot of positive buzz, a lot of excitement." Beasley notes when other teams "have unveiled a new stadium, they loaded up on talent to make sure the building stayed filled after the initial curiosity fades." But Garfinkel "insisted that’s not what the Dolphins are doing with their latest spending spree." He said, "I don’t think (the Suh signing) has anything to do with the stadium. I think it has to do with wanting to win football games" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/16).
SPENDING HABITS: In Boston, Ben Volin writes it "will be interesting to see" how Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross and Jets Owner Woody Johnson "are received at next week’s owners meetings." Not all NFL owners "are so willing" to cut a $60M check for one player, as Ross did for Suh, or more than $100M guaranteed, as Johnson did for eight players combined. No one is "crying poor for NFL owners," but Ross and Johnson "may be setting a precedent the owners won’t like by spending so freely" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/16). The N.Y. Daily News’ Manish Mehta said of Jets GM Mike Maccagnan’s willingness to make moves in free agency, “Unlike his predecessor, Maccagnan showed creativity, flexibility and willingness to make bold moves to challenge the Patriots." He added, "Winning the offseason, of course, guarantees nothing, but exhale Jets fans, it looks like Woody Johnson hired the right man" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/15). THE MMQB's Peter King writes Maccagnan is "off to a good start with the Jets, but come now." All he has done "is spend the millions" former Jets GM John Idzik "unwisely left for him." The Jets were a franchise-record $52M "under the cap two weeks ago." King: "Again, no criticism of Maccagnan, but all he’s done so far is spend the money the owner wanted to spend" (MMQB.SI.com, 3/16).
NOT DUNN YET: ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss wrote the Patriots’ agreement with TE Scott Chandler was notable "because it was the first significant contract the club has finalized with David Dunn's agency since the fallout from Wes Welker’s departure from New England." Two years later, this is the "first sign of a thaw between the Patriots and Dunn’s agency, which could be important, considering they’ll likely soon be negotiating a possible extension" for OT Nate Solder (ESPNBOSTON.com, 3/15).
NEW NARRATIVE: In Boston, Christopher Gasper wrote the buzz around the NFL's "free agent frenzy and a few high-profile trades drowned out everything else on the sports scene." The league's offseason "trumped the regular seasons of the NHL and the NBA" and made MLB's "Hot Stove season look lukewarm." NFL "should stand for National Foolproof League." The league is "such a colossus that even when it trips over its feet it lands in a pile of fan interest." This offseason "has been a godsend for the folks at 345 Park Avenue, shifting the discussion point from punishments and PSI to player movement" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/15). The MMQB's King writes last week was "one of the strangest weeks in NFL offseason history" (MMQB.SI.com, 3/16).
