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Title: Jeff Ireland says trading away picks unlikely Post by: DolFan619 on February 17, 2009, 07:00:25 pm http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2009/02/jeff-ireland-on-dolphins-tonight.html
Jeff Ireland says trading away picks unlikely All those Miami Dolphins fans holding out hope the team will package some draft picks and ship them away for a proven veteran like Anquan Boldin or Plaxico Burress might want to start getting themselves familiar with the 2009 draft prospects. During an interview with WQAM's Dolphins Tonight that was aired on Monday night Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland touched on a couple of interesting topics, breaking down the Trifecta's line of thinking on various issues. In my view, the most interesting portion of Ireland's interview, which can be heard by clicking here, was his explanation why trading away draft picks for veterans isn't a practice this regime will frequently practice. "You'd have to be darn sure that player can come in and help you," Ireland said. "Draft picks, you only have a certain amount every year." Ireland goes on to explain the value of draft picks, of which the Dolphins presently have nine. "Why draft picks are so valuable is because of the contract. Other than Jake Long, every other [2008 draftee] on your roster [comes] at a good price. So in the draft, not only do you get to pick players you want that fits your system. But you also get that player under contract at a fairly good number for four to five years. "When you trade the picks away you are probably trading it for a player who needs a new contract, or wants a new contract. And your giving up a draft pick, which would get you someone younger and cheaper." Notice the emphasis on the words "younger" and "cheaper." That seems to be the direction this franchise is still headed. Interestingly, Ireland said a year into building the Dolphins' talent base the Trifecta has found more holes than what they initially saw when they "came in blind." He pointed out the Dolphins are in the "processing mode," grinding through tapes of prospective free agents, and have been breaking down pre-combine information about draft prospects. Ireland, with the assistance of team czar Bill Parcells and head coach Tony Sparano, is in the process of coming up with contingency plans on how to address the positions of need. When asked about the team's current free agents, he said the Dolphins are playing a "game of cat and mouse," trying to come to terms with the ones they are interested in re-signing. The goal is to "balance the contract with the value of the player, and most of the time you're going to overpay in free agency. "All parties will be sitting down at the table very quickly to get something done with most of those guys, if not all of them," Ireland said. As for this week's NFL combine, Ireland said the goal is to learn more about each player's personality, which will lead the decision makers to discover the player's total makeup. "Each little exposure that you get with a player just tells you a little bit more about the type of person and player he could be," Ireland said, He pointed out the draft is always going to be a projection, and the executives and scouts are trying to mix and match, and balance the player's character, [personality] makeup, and playing ability to make a sound decision. "It's a difficult process," he continued. "Sometimes the players that you like you are looking for verification of ability. And sometimes the players that you don't like as much you are trying to keep a hold of them and maybe find something redeeming about them. Sometime the workout and athletic ability may be more redeeming than their playing ability. I always tell this to young scouts, and young people: The college draft is about projection and you've got to have as much information to make a sound decision about the player." When asked about his philosophy of whether to draft the best player available vs. addressing a position of need, Ireland said it's usually a balancing act. "You hope the need of the position matches the value of the board," he said. Deuces. > Posted by Omar Kelly at 2:13:37 AM |