The Miami Herald provided Miami Dolphins fans exciting news late Saturday, this as The Associated Press named defensive end Cameron Wake to its All-Pro Team.

Wake, the sixth Miami player to be named to the All-Pro Team since 2000 (he joins Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Jake Long, Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Ricky Williams, with Long the most recent honoree back in 2010), earned the nod after a 2012 season in which he totaled 15 sacks - fourth-best in the NFL - while also notching 38 tackles and forcing three fumbles.

Wake's accomplishment becomes all the more impressive upon realizing the four-year veteran out of Penn State played at defensive end for the Dolphins for the first time this year, this after being transitioned to the position from linebacker at the end of last season in order to accommodate a move from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive scheme.

The Houston Texans' J.J. Watt joins Wake as the only other defensive end named to the All-Pro's first-team, a group of individuals selected by a nationwide panel of 50 media members covering the NFL.

Heading into this year's NFL off-season, what are the chances current Miami Dolphins tailback Reggie Bush ends up locking up a bettter deal than the two-year, $9.75 million contract he secured back in 2011 by possibly entering into the free agent market?

According to Charlie Casserly, a former NFL executive now serving as a correspondent for the NFL Network, not very good, especially given that Bush - whose $4.5 million base salary from this past season left him the league's eight-highest paid running back - finished just 17th best in total rushing yards (986) in 2012.

Says Casserly, talking to The Miami Herald earlier this week, "I think Reggie may be a victim of a low market. He's certainly played well the last two years, but with not a lot of teams looking for backs, there are not a lot of teams looking to put money in backs."

As such, concludes Casserly, ""I would say [Bush] would be fortunate to get [a deal as good as his last contract] again" - a situation likely to be compounded by the fact Miami's front office doesn't appear anxious to come to terms with Bush, failing to produce as it has any sort of  package to keep the running back in South Florida two weeks after the end of the Dolphins' 2012 season back on Dec. 30.

Fact of the matter is, the Miami Dolphins head into next season with a remarkable $47 million of cap space to work with, third-most in the NFL, but seem - at least for now - more interested in saving that money that doling it out to keep players like Bush, tackle Jake Long, corner Sean Smith and wideout Brian Hartline members of the franchise.

That the team spent just $82 million on the 24 players deemed starters for the 2012 season and is currently slated to payout more than $1 million in base salary to just one player in 2013 - receiver Davone Bess - hints that Miami's front office plans to continue operating on notions of getting the most return for the least investment.

If true, Bush, it appears, will be left in an interesting lurch - continue playing for a team that  seems destined to undervalue his overall contribution to the team or hope that another NFL franchise is willing to take the risk of paying Bush more in hopes that he continues to produce at level exceeding each of his last two seasons.

Thanks to Jeremiah Thermidor of CBS Miami, we're able to offer readers a fairly detailed analysis of where the Miami Dolphins finished on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, as well on special teams, coming off its 2012 record of 7-9:

- Despite flashes of excellence in the passing game by rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, a ground attack that late in the season benefited from the emergence of tailback tandem Reggie Bush and rookie Lamar Miller and a career-best 1,083 receiving yards by fourth-year veteran receiver Brian Hartline, Miami's offense finished the 2012 season ranked 27th in the NFL, ahead of only the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.

- Hartline and teammate Davone Bess combined for 135 catches and 1861 receiving yards but just two touchdowns for a Dolphins pass catching corps that ended the year 26th overall in the league.

- Reggie Bush finished just 14 yards shy of his second-consecutive 1,000 yard season on the ground  as part of a Miami backfield that thanks to injuries and a Dolphins offensive line that at times found it difficult to play with any degree of consistency ended the year 17th in the NFL for total rushing offense.

- The Dolphins finished 26th overall in first down conversions, 19th in third down conversions and in a five-way tie at 23rd with five fourth down conversions on the year.

- Having surrendered 356.8 total yards per game this season, Miami's defense finished 2012 No. 21 in total defense.

- The Dolphins secondary, expected to struggle given the departure of Yeremiah Bell to the New York Jets, fell two spots from 25th in 2011 to 27th in 2012 in total receiving defense, while also finishing 27th in the league with 10 total interceptions.

- Miami's defense ended the year 26th in the NFL at stopping third down conversions.

- One of the few areas in which the Dolphins excelled on defense was in total number of sacks, with defensive end Cameron Wake and defensive tackle Randy Starks helping Miami to account for 42 on the year - seventh-best in the NFL.  Miami also was strong when it came to forced fumbles, with the team's 19 for 2012 eighth-best in the league.

- Miami finished 13th in kickoff returns, 15th in punt returns and 10th in gross punting yards.

ESPN.com today provides some interesting insight into how the Miami Dolphins will ultimately end up holding the short-end of the stick when it comes to the preseason trade of cornerback Vontae Davis to the Indianapolis Colts.

According to sources familiar with the transaction, Indianapolis agreed to provide Miami with a second- and conditional sixth-round pick in return for the use of Davis' services during the 2012 season.

Unfortunately, the conditional sixth-round pick was guaranteed only if Davis ended up playing in 65 percent of the Colts' total plays during the regular season, something which did not happen (though barely) given a sprained left-knee suffered by Davis early on in Indianapolis' Oct. 28 win on the road over the Tennessee Titans.

Subsequently, the Dolphins will end up receiving just the Colts' second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, while Indianapolis hopes Davis, a former first-round pick of Miami back in 2009, continues to build upon a 2012 regular season in which he posted 51 tackles and three interceptions, the latter one quarter of the 12 total picks he's posted in the span of his four-year NFL career.

Here's a rundown of a few things we'll be watching for heading into Sunday's season-finale for the Miami Dolphins at New England:

Remaining Accurate, Yielding Wins:  One of the most popular statistics to reference when talking about first-year quarterback for Miami, Ryan Tannehill, is this: When completing at least 60 percent of his throws in a single game, the Dolphins are 5-1 this season.  The first time the Tannehill matched up with New England back in early December, the rookie passer completed just 44.6 percent of his attempted throws (13-of-29 for 186 yards) in a 23-16 loss.  He'll have to play much better than that in Sunday's rematch at Gillette Stadium to put Miami in a position to come away with an 8-8 record for the year, but could find that easier said than done, particularly with Davone Bess more than likely absent from the offensive huddle for a third-straight game with a back injury.

Keeping the Streak Alive:  After tossing six combined interceptions in three consecutive mid-to-late November contests against Tennessee, Buffalo and Seattle, Tannehill has avoided throwing a single interception during the month of December – this while also netting five touchdown passes over the span of his last three starts, a loss to San Francisco and wins over Jacksonville and in a rematch with the Bills.  Can he keep a streak of 136 straight passing attempts without a pick alive against New England?  If so, don't overlook the ability of Miami to stay competitive in this game – especially with Tannehill growing more comfortable with Reggie Bush's expanded role as a check-down receiver.

Moving the Ball Using Tannehill's Legs:  Make no mistake about it – Tannehill is never going to prove the second coming of Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III or Colin Kaepernick.  However, important to point out, as does the Palm Beach Post on Friday, the Dolphins' starter under center ended up notching a 30-yard run in each of his last two games, something which proved useful in helping to maintain a balanced offensive attack in wins against Jacksonville and Buffalo in Week 15 and 16.

Magic Number for Miami – 100:  When the Dolphins have rushed for at least 100 yards in a single game, the franchise has posted a 4-2 record this season.  Fortunately, Miami currently holds a hot hand when it comes to moving the ball on the ground, combining for 362 total yards in recent wins over the Jaguars and the Bills thanks to the combined efforts of Bush and first-year tailback, Lamar Miller. (Miller actually led the team in rushing with 10 carries for 73 yards in last Sunday's win over Buffalo.) Maintaining that type of success could prove crucial against the Patriots in Week 17, particularly given New England currently ranks 12^th in the league in rush defense and proved susceptible to the run two weeks ago in a loss at home to San Francisco, surrendering 180 yards. 

Magic Number for Bush – 40:  Bush needs just 40 yards in Sunday's game at New England to finish with at least 1,000 yards rushing for a second-straight season – an accomplishment which could end up proving vital for Bush heading into the off-season, as Miami's front office has yet to put forth an offer to keep Bush playing in South Florida in 2013.

Releasing the Beast – Miami Pass Rush:  Cameron Wake, Reshad Jones, Koa Misi and Paul Soliai had a field day against New England quarterback Tom Brady back in the start of December,  sacking the Patriots passer four times and hitting him on eight separate occasions (including three by Wake).  That left Brady with his second-worst performance of the 2012 regular season, with the 13^th year veteran under center ending up with a 74.8 quarterback rating.  Can Miami's defensive front find similar success against the Patriots on the road this Sunday?

Avoiding Disaster at the Hands of New England Tight Ends:  The first time Miami and New England met on Dec. 2, tight end Aaron Hernandez torched the Dolphins pass coverage to the tune of eight catches for 97 yards.  Expect things to potentially get only more difficult for Miami in Sunday's rematch, with Rob Gronkowski, third in receiving for the Patriots this year with 53 catches, 748 yards and 10 touchdowns, possibly making a return from a broken arm which has kept him sidelined over the span of New England's last five games.

A few post-Christmas Day notes on the Miami Dolphins heading into this Sunday's season-finale at New England.  

There is plenty of buzz this week surrounding the Miami Dolphins, but having nothing to do with moves by the front regarding coaching or playing personnel.  Instead, as The Miami Herald reports, the Internet has been set ablaze by discussion of a potential new logo for the team, a trademark which (as seen above), if authentic, provides an interesting blend of the traditional (orange sun serving as an outline) and the new (a futuristic looking dolphin swimming through the middle).  Franchise CEO Mike Dee has yet to confirm or deny whether or not the image is, in fact, something Miami's front office has embraced, but did tweet, according to the Herald, "I hear all the logo buzz out there ...  I'll provide an update soon!"  A potential late holiday season "present" intended for Miami fans to keep their minds off the end of another dismal regular-season performance this Sunday?  Looks like we'll have to wait and see just awhile longer to find out for sure.

A (rare) bit of good news coming out the Miami Dolphins camp as their 2012 regular season wraps up –  Cameron Wake learned Wednesday night that he will be the lone member of the Dolphins franchise to play in January's Pro Bowl game, with the defensive end making his second-ever appearance after tallying a career-high 15 sacks in this season's first 15 games.

A more practical tidbit relating to the Dolphins heading into its final game of the year against New England Sunday and what it sure to be an interesting off-season for the franchise:  The Miami Herald reports cornerback Sean Smith, a pending free agent, has learned he did not suffer any type of tear to his left knee in last weekend's win over the Buffalo Bills, but, instead, just a bruise.  In fact, the paper notes, damage sustained to the knee has been diagnosed as minimal enough that there is a chance the fourth-year defensive back could play this Sunday against the Patriots. 

Despite its well-publicized struggles throughout the 2012 NFL regular season, the Sun Sentinel points out a statistical anomaly as it relates to the Miami Dolphins:  Should running back Reggie Bush rush for 60 yards and linebacker Kevin Burnett get one tackle in Sunday's season-finale against New England, the South Florida franchise would become the only team in the league this year to host a 1,000-yard rusher, 1000-yard receiver, a 3,000-yard passer, someone with at least 15 sacks and two players with 100 tackles apiece.