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Title: Dolphins' war room likely to be lively on draft day Post by: DolFan619 on April 26, 2008, 02:39:43 am Dolphins' war room likely to be lively on draft day
By TIM GRAHAM Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Saturday, April 26, 2008 NEW YORK — All three parts have been arranged before. But that was a different place, a different time, a different structure. This will be the first Dolphins draft conducted by football operations boss Bill Parcells, first-time General Manager Jeff Ireland and rookie head coach Tony Sparano. Nobody can be certain how the Dolphins' evaluators will carry out their roles today and Sunday in the NFL Draft. But based on how Parcells has operated in the past, the war room in Davie probably won't be humdrum. "It'll probably be a pretty interesting room," said Larry Lacewell, the Dallas Cowboys' former director of college and pro scouting. The Dolphins' new triumvirate worked together with the Cowboys, but Parcells was a coach, Ireland a scouting director and Sparano an assistant coach. Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones reigned supreme over all Cowboys draft decisions, but Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hired Parcells to sanction every personnel move for him. "On draft day, I've not been in this position with him," Ireland said of Parcells. "I don't exactly know what his involvement will be on draft day, but he expects me to go through the process." How much Parcells delegates and defers in his first Dolphins draft will be one of the league's better story lines this weekend. Parcells has a reputation for high drama at the draft. He's not afraid to wheel and deal. Perhaps this year's big splash will be cutting the cord with defensive end Jason Taylor. "Bill will probably need an ice pack for that cauliflower ear he's going to have from being on the phone all day," said longtime NFL personnel man Charley Armey, who was in the New England Patriots' front office when Parcells was coach. If Parcells doesn't swing a big trade at the draft, then there's always the chance of a classic eruption. "Parcells' résumé," Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway wrote before the 2003 draft, "tells of various general managers and personnel directors being verbally pimp-slapped due to differences in talent evaluation, wants, needs, etc." Lacewell ran the Cowboys' drafts until he lost a clash of wills with Parcells in 2005. Ireland was promoted to replace Lacewell. "Parcells sat back and usually pouted because he didn't get his way all the time," Lacewell said. That said, Lacewell offered high praise for how Ireland handled Parcells' bluster. "Jeff is quality," Lacewell said. "I know for a fact Jeff has gone against him, and trust me, he'll have to do it again. "The problem Jeff has is that in the Dallas draft room he had Jerry and (director of player personnel) Steve Jones backing him. I don't think Wayne Huizenga will do that." Of the most colorful moments in Parcells draft-day lore, three infamous disagreements are frequently recounted: In 1996 with the Patriots, he reportedly wanted to draft defensive end Tony Brackens with the ninth pick. The scouts felt strongly about receiver Terry Glenn, and owner Bob Kraft backed them. Nine months later, Parcells left the Patriots, uttering the line, "If you're going to cook the dinner, you ought to be able to at least shop for some of the groceries." In 2003 with the Cowboys, he lobbied for Dewayne Robertson or Kevin Williams, top-rated defensive tackles, with the fifth pick. The scouting department talked Jones into taking cornerback Terence Newman. In 2005, Parcells wanted defensive end Marcus Spears with the 11th pick. He was overruled, and the Cowboys took linebacker DeMarcus Ware instead. Spears still was on the board when the Cowboys picked again at No. 20. Armey, who was GM of the St. Louis Rams when they won Super Bowl XXXIV, said Parcells values dissent to a point. "His theory is if you get mad and you try to intimidate the people trying to give your best opinion," Armey said, "they're not going to give an honest opinion. He doesn't want the picks to be rubber-stamped." After more than four months of research and internal mock drafts, the first day of a draft generally goes smoothly. That should be especially true for the Dolphins this year. They've already drafted Michigan tackle Jake Long with the No. 1 pick, and only two rounds will be conducted. The second day is when the real fun begins. Scouts voice their opinions with more conviction as the remaining prospects become increasingly obscure. "The second day, that's where it really gets heavy-duty for myself and for the scouts," Ireland told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before the 2006 draft, Parcells' last one. "Then the questions are flying in every round, and the emotions can spill over. There are some strong and healthy debates - heated arguments, you might say - on that second day." That's why people call it a war room, a term Ireland dislikes. He prefers to call it a draft room, emphasizing the meticulous preparation that has been completed rather than the drama. No matter what happens in Davie, once the call is placed to New York and equipment manager Joe Cimino and accountant Craig Heil answer the phone, they will hear a definitive choice. "Some people will be in certain moods," Ireland said last week in Davie. "Some people will pout after they don't get what they want, but at the end of the day, we'll agree we made the best pick for the Dolphins." |