DAVIE, Fla. -- New Miami Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey stepped to the microphone and apologized for his hoarse voice, explaining he wore it down in the past few days trying to build a winner. Hickey then introduced two big acquisitions in the first hours of free agency -- 316-pound left tackle Branden Albert, and 300-pound defensive tackle Earl Mitchell. Both signed Wednesday less than 24 hours after they agreed to terms. Hickey said he was optimistic defensive tackle Randy Starks would re-sign after becoming a free agent Tuesday. Starks has spent the past six seasons with the Dolphins, and the two sides were negotiating a deal Wednesday. The Dolphins shopping will continue, with additional offensive linemen, a tight end and a linebacker the most pressing needs. Theyre trying to end a 13-year drought without a post-season victory, and eager to put in the past their bullying scandal that involved tackle Jonathan Martin. The acquisition of Albert was a step in that direction. Hell take over the position manned at the start of last season by Martin, who was traded late Tuesday to the San Francisco 49ers for an undisclosed draft choice. "Im going to be here to play left tackle and make a difference," Albert said. "Thats the reason Im here. I feel like its a team I can help the most and make my legacy even better." Albert signed a $47 million, five-year deal that includes $26 million guaranteed. Dolphins officials, accompanied by a couple of players, treated Albert to dinner Tuesday night to celebrate the agreement. "Probably the happiest person at the dining room table was Ryan Tannehill," Hickey said. "He was really excited to have a player of his calibre on our team." Albert will protect the blind side for Tannehill, who was sacked a franchise-record 58 times last year. Mitchell was also part of the dinner celebration. He signed a $16 million, four-year deal. Like Albert, Mitchell envisions better days ahead for the Dolphins. "Im coming to produce and definitely trying to help this team reach new heights," Mitchell said. "Thats my reason for being here. Im trying to get us to a Super Bowl." Mitchell blossomed in his fourth NFL season with the Houston Texans last year, when he became a starter and won raves for the way he clogged the middle. He has been playing defence only since his junior year at the University of Arizona, and he and Hickey both said hes still improving. Alberts reputation has also been on the rise, and he made the Pro Bowl last year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has had a home the past three offseasons 45 minutes from the Dolphins complex and will now move north, eager to go to work with his new team. "I live in downtown Miami, but I probably wont anymore because of the commute," he said with a smile. "Ive got to find a place close to the facility." Morgan Cox Jersey . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Derrick Mason Jersey . -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew practiced in a limited capacity Friday, a positive sign he might be able to play against the Tennessee Titans. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom...large-503d.html. Now comes an off-season of questions about manager Matt Williams decisions and a handful of key roster choices, including what to do about Ryan Zimmerman, whether to sign Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond to long-term deals, and how to upgrade an offence that fell flat in October. Bam Morris Jersey . If Vettel wins at Suzuka on Sunday, and his nearest rival Fernando Alonso finishes worse than eighth, the German driver will join his compatriot Michael Schumacher and Argentine Juan-Manuel Fangio as the only men to win four consecutive titles. Kyle Boller Jersey . Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft, set numerous rookie records and was picked AP Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Washington Redskins.MANCHESTER, England -- As David Moyes lurches from one setback to another in his troubled first season at Old Trafford, Manchester Uniteds hierarchy may well be casting envious glances at Bayern Munich to discover just how smooth managerial transition can be. Two of the most celebrated clubs in European football were forced to begin new eras last summer after Alex Ferguson and Jupp Heynckes opted to end their coaching careers and head into retirement. While Bayern went with one of the safest pair of hands around in Pep Guardiola, who turned Barcelona into the best team in the world in a trophy-laden four-year spell, United took a gamble and hired Moyes despite his limited experience of top-level football. Eight months on, perhaps unsurprisingly it is Bayern which has managed change the better. The two teams are heading in opposite directions as they meet for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, with Bayern having just retained the German title in record-breaking style and tipped by many to retain its Champions League trophy. Moyes, meanwhile, is hanging onto his job after a first season at the soon-to-be-deposed English champion that has been nothing short of disastrous. "They are probably the side most people have looked to recently," Moyes said Monday, when asked for his opinion on the Bayern side of Guardiola. "He has had a year to get ready for the Bayern job and has done incredibly well with them." To be more precise, Guardiola agreed in January last year to replace Heynckes the following summer. He was living in New York at the time, spending a year away from football after a stressful spell at the Camp Nou when he was approached by Bayern. In many respects, the inheritance was made easier for Guardiola. The majority of Bayerns players were in their prime -- Arjen Robben was 29, Franck Ribery was 30 and Bastian Schweinsteiger was 29, for example -- and he took over a squad full of talented, technical players who would have little trouble slipping into the tiki-taka approach Guardiola favours. But the Spaniard was also decisive in his sole incursion into the transfer market in signing Thiago Alcantra -- reeportedly from under the nose of United, no less -- and his insistence on high standards means Bayerns level hasnt dropped.dddddddddddd In fact, the evidence suggests things are getting even better The team clinched the Bundesliga title last week in record time and the team is unbeaten in the league in 28 games. The team also motors on in Europe, opening the season by winning the UEFA Super Cup and then marching to the last eight of the Champions League without losing a competitive match. "Nobody has the secrets for eternal success," Guardiola said Monday, but he and Jose Mourinho appear to offer the best guarantees to success in football. "You have to say that when Pep took over at Bayern, we were in great shape and we had had a fantastic season before that," said Schweinsteiger, who is surprised at the fall from grace of United. "Its difficult to say when you are outside the club . (but) Man United should be one of the top four teams in England all the time." United is nowhere near that. Succeeding Ferguson after his trophy-laden 27 years in charge was described by many as the impossible job and it is proved to be exactly that for Moyes, with United seventh in the Premier League and left with the Champions League as its only chance of silverware this season. His style is less attacking than Fergusons and the teams lack of movement and dynamism going forward has been a source of frustration for fans. Moyes is set to be given another season but many wonder whether he is the right man for the rebuilding job at Old Trafford. "Sometimes you need a little more time," Guardiola said. "The decisions Manchester United take are always right." Guardiola revealed Monday that he was invited to dinner by Ferguson during his time in New York. "My English is not so good so when Sir Alex spoke quickly, I didnt understand him," Guardiola said, "so maybe I didnt understand if I received an offer (to take over at United) or not." Guardiola was joking. But after what has happened this season, United supporters likely wish the Spaniard had been the "Chosen One" rather than Moyes. ' ' '