LT Jake Long ($12.8 salary cap number) – The four-time Pro Bowler is no longer playing like an elite left tackle, but he's still better than half of his contemporaries.

In-house: Rookie Jonathan Martin has spent all but this season as a left tackle, now he's struggling at right tackle (four sacks). Miami likely will have to draft or sign a tackle if Long doesn't return.

The payout: Long hopes to stay in the $10 million-plus salary range. The Dolphins must decide if that salary would be more beneficial going elsewhere.

RB Reggie Bush ($6M) – Bush was on pace to rush for 1,000 yards, but he's cooled off, averaging 3.16 yards per carry the past five games.

In-house: Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller are waiting in the wings behind Bush, who will be 28 next season.

The payout: The free agent market for tailback was dead last season, and considering they age poorly it is hard to envision Bush won't have his salary slashed in half.

DT Randy Starks ($5M) – With 20 tackles, 4.5 sacks and an interception, Starks is on pace for his best season in Miami, and possibly another Pro Bowl berth.

In-house: Starting defensive end Jared Odrick could move inside, but depth is an issue considering Tony McDaniel is also an impending free agent.

The payout: Starks, who turns 29 next month, likely won't break the bank in free agency. A respectable multi-year deal like the one Kendall Langford got from the Rams (four-year, $24 million) is realistic.

WR Brian Hartline (1.434M) – Already with career-highs in receptions (53) and yards (790), he is on pace to contribute 1,264 receiving yards. But he's only scored seven touchdowns in four seasons.

In-house: Marlon Moore and Rishard Matthews have potential, but neither has shown they are ready to start. The Dolphins have made it clear they need to upgrade the position.

The payout: With more dynamic receivers such as Mike Wallace, Greg Jenning, Dwayne Bowe and Wes Welker likely to hit the free agent market don't be surprised if Hartline isn't a priority.

FS Chris Clemons ($1.348M) - Dolphins have invested two season into Clemons as a starter, and it appears he's finally blossoming playing alongside Reshad Jones.

In house: Jimmy Wilson, Jonathon Amaya and Anderson Russell could have their status elevated, but that would mean Miami's on its seventh safety duo in seven years.

The payout: Whether its free agency or the draft, safeties aren't in tremendous demand, and their play often drops once they've changed systems. So it would be risky to pursue another free agent such as Buffalo's Jarius Byrd.

CB Sean Smith ($851K) – A four-year starter with an elite skill set, makes Smith one of the league's more promising cornerbacks. But he lacks consistency.

In-house: Richard Marshall returns next season, but can the Dolphins get by with a starting duo of Marshall and Nolan Carroll?

The payout: Cornerbacks happen to be one of the NFL's more expensive positions, and even average ones make $4-7 million if they're proven starters. The Dolphins pay Marshall $5.3 million a season and Smith deserves more.

TE Anthony Fasano ($4.375M) – He's having his least productive season from a yards per catch standpoint (7.7), but he's not being emphasized.

In-house: The Dolphins don't have many options because Charles Clay and rookie Michael Egnew are mediocre in-line blockers who have struggled this season.

The payout: Even though Fasano turns 29 next season he's still serviceable. But tight ends like Jared Cook, Dustin Keller would be upgrades, adding a seam threat element to Miami's offense.

At half-past 1 last Tuesday, the Dolphins were just finishing up their final true practice before their second game in five days.

The shrunken work week meant even less time than normal to prepare for the Buffalo Bills; every second on the practice field was essential. But Davone Bess, a starting receiver and one of the most important cogs of a limited Dolphins offense, wasn’t there.

Instead, he was at a nearby hospital, acting more as a coach than a player.

Bess’ wife Rachel gave birth to the couple’s third child Tuesday afternoon, a baby boy named Kaiyen.

Such life events are stressful in ideal settings. And life as a pro football player during the season — particularly when your team is struggling — is no picnic either.

Combine the two, and there’s the potential for an emotional perfect storm.

Yet Joe Philbin, Bess’ first-year coach whose No. 1 job description is to bring a winner back to Miami, had a message for his overloaded pass-catcher:

Take all the time you need, even if it’s at the expense of the team.

“Family is very, very important to me, and if a player needs [time] or there is something that he feels is an issue within his family, whatever that may be, and he needs time to address it and deal with it, then I wholeheartedly support it,” Philbin said Friday.

Now, the timing was fortuitous for Bess. He only missed a couple of practices because of the delivery.

But if he wasn’t so lucky, and little Kaiyen wanted to arrive two days later, then the Dolphins would just have had to make do without their second-leading receiver.

“If your family needs you for something, then they need you,” Philbin added. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the Super Bowl or Game One of the preseason. If there is an issue in your family that needs attention then you need to be there.”

While this credo might make fans a bit uneasy — particularly if the Dolphins ever do make it back to the Super Bowl — no one even the slightest bit familiar with Philbin’s family-first philosophy and his tragic history should be surprised by it.

He owns a $1.8 million home in Davie, but says his most valuable possession is his wedding band.

His two kids who still live under his roof go to school at the University School on the Nova Southeastern University campus, just walking distance from Dad’s office. They often stop by the training complex after classes let out.

And cognizant of the hours his coaches put in each week, Philbin holds a once-weekly Family Day for his staff at Dolphins camp.

Each Monday evening, his coaches’ wives and children are invited to a big group dinner. The kids are allowed to play on the team’s practice field.

All this is a reflection of Philbin’s strong commitment to family, which was put on national display during his unspeakable loss last winter.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/19/3 ... rylink=cpy