Miami, FL
Miami Dolphins draft focus: No more Mr. Nice Guys | Schad
Browns GM Andrew Berry on why they drafted Shedeur Sanders
Despite already drafting Dillon Gabriel to an already crowded Browns QB room, GM Andrew Berry explains why they couldn’t pass up Shedeur Sander in the fifth round.
Sports Pulse
MIAMI GARDENS — The moment that foreshadowed this Miami Dolphins NFL Draft came in the final days of a cold November, in a locker room in Green Bay Wisconsin.
“Soft,” Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks said of his team’s performance.
It’s a coincidence that five months later the 2025 NFL Draft was held in Green Bay.
It’s no coincidence that the Dolphins drafted a handful of tough, physical, mean bruisers maulers and street-fighters.
“A tonality of violence and aggression,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said during this draft, adding that he and general manager Chris Grier spoke “at length” about addressing the issue.
No more soft guys.
The Dolphins have attacked the soft perception head-on over the past few days.
Miami’s first three picks weigh a collective 975 pounds.
Yes, first-round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is a monster.
“On the field, it’s no friends, to be honest,” Grant said in Miami Gardens.
Yes, second-round guard Jonah Savaiinaea is a beast.
“Punch guys,” Saviinaea said from Hawaii.
Yes, fifth-defensive tackler Jordan Phillips is a scrapper.
“Grit and willingness,” said Phillips, who is from the Orlando area.
Massive men headed to Miami Gardens to play for Dolphins
There are plenty of problems the Dolphins have to work through before the 2025 season kicks off.
What will they get for Jalen Ramsey when they trade him, presumably as early as June 2? Perhaps Miami can secure a young cornerback; perhaps even a rookie.
Who exactly are Miami’s starting cornerbacks?
At the moment it would appear to be Cam Smith, Storm Duck and Kader Kohou, though clearly Grier will sign at least one veteran capable of starting.
This team seems stuck between trying-to-contend-in-the-AFC and a soft-reset and a hard-rebuild. I’m not entirely sure what it is.
It seems Grier and the Dolphins are trying to thread a needle.
The average age of their roster will be younger.
Miami’s projected offensive line (in some order) is currently aged 23-21-27-27-25.
This is a young man’s game. At times last season, Miami looked old.
Miami Dolphins wants to get younger, tweak culture in 2025
McDaniel is highly focused on delivering messages about positive culture change.
He’s got Ramsey on the move and Tyreek Hill causing off-field headaches again.
He’s going to try to establish some discipline and commitment early in the offseason.
“Non-negotiably we’re going to be one team moving in one direction,” McDaniel said, during the draft, “and we’re going to earn everything we get.”
Print the T-Shirts now. “One Team, One Direction.”
Or don’t. What matters more than the shirts is that the message sinks in.
Miami’s overall roster figures to be on-par or close to on-par in talent to the 2024 version. But last year’s team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Some things have had to change. And one is this issue about size, strength, toughness, aggression and violence.
What has to change is the on-field “tonality” as McDaniel said.
There is a perception that McDaniel operates a creative offense based in speed and misdirection. There are elements of truth in that.
Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel wants more on-field aggression and violence
But what McDaniel really wants is an offense primed by physicality and power run.
Miami added a running back, Ollie Gordon, in the sixth round.
We can’t say how good Gordon will be, but he fits the theme. And thus it is very, very easy to understand why he’s a player McDaniel and Grier specifically targeted.
“I’m a bruiser,” Gordon told reporters. “I’m going to run through you. I’m going to make you not want to tackle me.”
Yes. More of that. Change perceptions. Change the tone.
It’s a clear goal for the Dolphins in 2025.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
Miami, FL
I went to 2 famous Miami restaurants, a flashy steakhouse and a Cuban hot spot. Here’s how they compared.
Café La Trova celebrated the city’s Cuban heritage through live music, warm hospitality, and dishes that felt deeply rooted in local culture.
Papi Steak, meanwhile, embraced Miami’s flashy, see-and-be-seen reputation with theatrical presentations, celebrity appeal, and an atmosphere that often felt more like a nightclub than a standard steakhouse.
Despite Papi Steak’s over-the-top reputation, nearly every dish I tried — from the wagyu pastrami to the hamachi crudo — was thoughtfully prepared and tasted just as good as it looked. If you’re looking for an indulgent, special-occasion dinner where the spectacle is part of the fun, it’s easy to understand why the restaurant has become such a phenomenon.
Still, if I could only recommend one restaurant to a first-time visitor, I’d choose Café La Trova.
While Papi Steak offered the more decadent, once-in-a-lifetime meal, Café La Trova delivered a more authentic Miami experience, pairing outstanding food and cocktails with a genuine sense of the city’s history and culture.
Miami, FL
7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
Seven more women have been arrested at massage parlors across Miami-Dade, following a wave of arrests in an undercover prostitution sting operation run by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
All seven women appeared in bond court facing prostitution charges as well as running a massage business without a license. The arrests come a day after seven other women were arrested at massage parlors in southwest Miami-Dade. Those locations were closed after the first round of arrests.
According to arrest reports, the women would offer sexual acts to an undercover detective after a massage. They would also charge, according to the reports, prices ranging from $50 to $150.
The women’s ages ranged from 46 to 67 years old:
- Yaoying Lin, 58
- Xiufen Lin, 51
- Yan Xi, 48
- Zixuan Wang, 46
- Mei Hui Lin, 49
- Quirong Xu, 67
- Hongli Ren, 63
Judge Mindy Glazer presided over the bond court appearances. During the proceedings, she referenced charges of “committing a lascivious act and engaging in prostitution,” according to CBS News Miami’s reporting from the courthouse.
Yaoying Lin’s attorney, Paul Petruzzi, persuaded the judge to reduce her charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.
“She’s resided in Miami for many years. Married. And has never failed to appear,” Petruzzi said.
“They had my client held overnight. She was charged with a felony unfairly. To the point where a judge on her own dismissed it. It’s either real bad, bad, bad police work. Or it’s something else. A little bit more nefarious. I’m afraid the latter,” Petruzzi said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said that they will not be providing any interviews regarding this undercover sting at this time.
This is the eighth edition of Miami Hurricanes on SI’s breakdown of each team on the 2026-27 Miami Hurricanes football schedule.
Miami, to this point, is coming off its biggest test of the year against Pitt. Now they will turn their attention to Bill Belichick and what he has accomplished to this point in his second season as a college football head coach.
North Carolina should be better than last season after a disappointing 4-8 2025 outcome. However, the Hurricanes also understand that this is the ideal trap game before they head on the road to face Notre Dame in one of the biggest games of the season, which could hold massive playoff implications.
Miami can’t look forward. All eyes will be on what the new season and another fun home game against a rising contender.
Here’s everything you need to know about UNC and its 2026 unit.
The Offense
Petrino03 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Thursday 17, 2014
After coming off one of the worst offensive outputs in the country last season, Belichick knew that he needed to make a move quickly. It started with hiring veteran coach Bobby Petrino as the teams offensive coordinator.
It won’t be the 126th ranked offense, but how much better could it get with Petrino making the calls? The Tar Heels will also have a new quarterback under center, but so far, no one knows who exactly it will be.
The most talented player in the quarterback room is Travis Burges. A 6-foot-4 freshman dual-threat quarterback with unlimited potential, but they also went into the transfer portal and landed some experience in former Wisconsin QB, Billy Edwards Jr., is expected to start, but the change could be made halfway through the season if things don’t work.
Two new starting receivers also entered from the transfer portal, but the consistency in the room was provided by Jordan Shipp. Last season, he led the team in receiving yards (671) and touchdowns (6), even with how bad the team was at scoring.
UNC’s rushing attack was also highlighted by returning sophomore Demon June. He rushed for nearly 500 yards in his limited snaps, averaging 5.5 yards a carry with two touchdowns.
Defense
Defense should be the calling card of the Tar Heels next season, led by their star pass rusher, Melkart Abou-Jaoude. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound rusher totaled 10.5 sacks and 47 tackles last season. Another year learning under Belichick would likely push him to be a first or second round pick in the 2027 Class, one that the Canes are paying close attention to.
Moreover, some familarity will be on the sideline and a likely starter during his freshman year in Keton Dopson, the former Miami Hurricanes commit. He reclassifed to the 2026 class, and flipped his commitment knowing that there is a better chance to get on the field quicker at UNC than the depth that he would have had to wait behind at least for this season.
UNC’s secondary is one of the more sound groups in the country compared to the rest of its roster. However, their linebacking core who rack up tackles, are transfers who have to learn the Belichick system.
Schedule
Schedule-wise, this game is the biggest trap game of the season for the Canes. If Miami finds its way past Pitt, it will be 7-0, and this game stands between the Canes and a rematch with the Fighting Irish.
This is the perfect time for Belichick to get his first signature win against a returning program like Miami, which puts a ton of pressure on the Canes to get the job done. However, the Canes can’t afford it, knowing what is coming next.
Moreover, this is the perfect chance for Darian Mensah to have a better game than last season’s outing against the Tar Heels. His one touchdown performance was one of his weaker games of the season, but it could be a step for him to get control of the Heisman conversation.
Outlook
MIami will be favored in this game, similar to how it will be for the rest of the season. UNC will give the Canes one of the better defensive matchups this season that will also test the offense.
Miami’s history against UNC in the Mario Cristobal era has shown it can have a high-flying offense but has to avoid self-inflicted wounds.
The Game
Date: October 31
Time: TBA
TV: TBA
Location: Hard Rock Stadium
Series History: UNC leads 16-11
Last Meeting: 2023
The Team
The Coach: Bill Belichick
Offensive Coordinator: Bobby Petrino
Defensive Coordinator: Steve Belichick
2025 Record: 4-8
2025 Rankings: 126th Total Offense, 70th Total Defense
Players to Watch: Melkart Abou-Jaoude, R-Sr, EDGE
Top Newcomer: C.J. Sadler, WR, Freshman
Biggest Question: How will Belichick adjust in his second year as a college football head coach?
The School
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Founded: 1789
Enrollment: 32,099
Nickname: Tar Heels
Colors: Power Blue and White
Mascot (Symbols): Rameses the Live Ram
The Program
Last Win in the Series: 2023
Last ACC Title: 1980
National Championships: NA
Playoff Appearances: NA
Last missed bowl season: 2025
Heisman Trophies: NA
The Schedule
October 31, Time TBA, Pitt Panthers @ Miami Hurricanes
This is the eighth story in Miami Hurricanes on SI’s early preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Miami football in 2026.
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