Facts and Myths of the Dolphins upcoming draft.........

[Defense54]

http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/21584.html

As Dolphin fans sift through the reports, rumors, information, disinformation, misinformation and just plain lies about Miami's draft-weekend plans, now seems to be a good time to cull the facts from the myths regarding what Bill Parcells and friends are planning to do April 26.

1. The Dolphins have the first pick in the draft. FACT. It's always good to start with a point on which we can all agree.

2. The Dolphins want to trade out of the top spot. MYTH. There has been only speculation about this with nothing definitive coming out of Miami about trading out of the top position. While no team wants to take on the financial obligation that comes along with the No. 1 pick in the draft, this is the simple economic reality of the NFL today

3. Jerry Jones covets Darren McFadden enough to swap the Cowboys' 22nd and 28th picks in the first round to get Miami's No. 1. MYTH. In fact, Jones has specifically refuted this. At the combine in February, Jones said that the two teams have not discussed working a trade and that the only reason for a team to trade up for the first pick would be to take Matt Ryan, whom Jones considers "franchise material." So don't look for the Cowboys and Dolphins to swap first-round positions.

4. The Dolphins had representatives at the pro day workouts of Matt Ryan and Chris Long on March 18. FACT. The headline could read "Dolphins do due diligence." It'd be cheesy, but that's what the headline could read.

5. Miami has scheduled private meetings with all of the top candidates in the draft. MYTH. To date, Miami has scheduled private meetings with Ryan, Chris Long and Jake Long. According to their agents, no such meetings have been scheduled with McFadden, Vernon Gholston, Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis.

6. The Dolphins have room under the salary cap to keep and sign the No. 1 pick. FACT. Despite bringing in more than a dozen new faces since the start of this year's NFL free-agency period, the Dolphins are still somewhere around $20 million under the cap.

Last year's top overall draft pick, JaMarcus Russell, signed a six-year, $61 million contract with $32 million guaranteed. To avoid turning this column into a discourse on theoretical mathematics (salary-cap math), just trust me when I tell you that his contract counts just over $10 million per year against the Raiders' cap. Even if the Dolphins were to draft a quarterback with the first pick -- and pay the so-called quarterback premium -- they could make this work under the cap.

But the real fact of the matter is that Parcells is known to keep his draft cards close to the vest, meaning the chance of any meaningful information being uncovered in advance is pretty slim. Parcells has also been known to leak misinformation to the media in order to mask his true intentions and use this to his negotiating advantage. While this can be frustrating to those seeking information, it has proven to be an effective way to run a football team.

Which brings me to my final point:

7. Parcells knows more about running a draft and an NFL franchise than all the writers and fans put together.

And that, my friends, is an irrefutable fact.

I really like #7.............Man we haven't had a good draft since about 96-97 when Jimmy first took over.

[ethurst2]

I'm not a draft follower at all because I barely watch College Football with the exception of the big games.

I would like to see Miami go for o-line and d-line depth. I think it's safe to say that you build your offense or defense from the interior positions first.

The only time I can remember Miami taking two defensive linemen in the first round was in 1977.

Bob Baumhower - DT - Alabama
A.J. Duhe - DE - LSU

These guys became the core of the Killer B defense. In 78, they added Kim Bokamper and made him a defensive end and got Doug Betters at defensive tackle who became Defensive Player of the Year in 1983.

Same philosophy on offense. Miami drafted Mark Dennard, Eric Laakso, Dwight Stephenson with Ed Newman and Bob Kuechenberg as the mainstays.

The result from the drafts between 77 - 82 resulted in two Super Bowl appearances (1983 -1985). The next best draft was in 1990 (Richmond Webb and Keith Sims who were linemen).

You can always find a diamond in the rough at the receiver or the running back spot. Terrell Davis was a 6th Round pick of the Broncos that made his mark on Special teams. If you don't have a Barry Sanders who had the gift from God on making people miss, then a premier back is going to have it tough with a shabby o-line.

Give Ronnie and Ricky a line and beef up the D-Line and Miami is on it's way back to prominence.

[dolphins4life]

^^^^^

We still need a quarterback, some linebackers, Ginn to escalate his game to where he has the potential too, and better secondary.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

^^^^^

We still need a quarterback, some linebackers, Ginn to escalate his game to where he has the potential too, and better secondary.

Games are won and lost at the point of attack.  That is on both sides of the line.  Beef up your line and you can win with a game-managing QB.  Case in point... the 2000 Baltimore Ravens winning a Super Bowl with.... TRENT DILFER??

[doctord56]

I'm not a draft follower at all because I barely watch College Football with the exception of the big games.

I would like to see Miami go for o-line and d-line depth. I think it's safe to say that you build your offense or defense from the interior positions first.


Same philosophy on offense. Miami drafted Mark Dennard, Eric Laakso, Dwight Stephenson with Ed Newman and Bob Kuechenberg as the mainstays.

The result from the drafts between 77 - 82 resulted in two Super Bowl appearances (1983 -1985). The next best draft was in 1990 (Richmond Webb and Keith Sims who were linemen).

Give Ronnie and Ricky a line and beef up the D-Line and Miami is on it's way back to prominence.

A very well thought out post, Ethurst. Just wanted to mention, in line with your analysis, that the Dolphins also drafted John Giesler in the first round out of Michigan in 1979. Giesler was a superb left offensive tackle, arguably the second best OT in team history, and a mainstay on the line for a decade. He was well known for dominating loud mouth Mark Gastineau when the Dolphins played the Jets.

[CF DolFan]

loud mouth Mark Gastineau when the Dolphins played the Jets.

Man ...  I really loved this guy up until he quit football to play around with that big ugly Russian! He's been a fruit cake every since! 

[Doc-phin]

20 million under the cap...  I wish I had a better understanding of how good or bad this is.  I am happy they explained the cap number for Russell, but I still don't really have a feel for what kind of money it would take to sign everyone from this draft.

I wish I knew some sort of average (and maybe the high and low) of what cap money was spent for last years draft class.  You have to assume that this year would be a little higher the way trends have gone.

[TonyB0D]

Games are won and lost at the point of attack.  That is on both sides of the line.  Beef up your line and you can win with a game-managing QB.  Case in point... the 2000 Baltimore Ravens winning a Super Bowl with.... TRENT DILFER??

Tommy, this is by FAR the rare exception, and not the rule.  That year, the Ravens had one of the greatest defenses the game has EVER seen, and Dilfer just didn't make too many boneheaded plays.

[fyo]

Two words:

Brad Johnson

Oh, and the Super Bowl XXXVI champions didn't exactly have a great quarterback either, although he's developed quite a bit since then (but is still massively overrated).

That Manning guy this year... well, he's not exactly a great quarterback in my book. He pulled a "Dilfer" (i.e., to quote you, "just didn't make too many boneheaded plays").

[Defense54]

I think there is a good possibility That Parcells is paying a lot of attention to Matt Ryan to stir up interest for that #1 pick. You just never know with him ........and that's why I love him. 

[TonyB0D]

Two words:

Brad Johnson

Oh, and the Super Bowl XXXVI champions didn't exactly have a great quarterback either, although he's developed quite a bit since then (but is still massively overrated).

That Manning guy this year... well, he's not exactly a great quarterback in my book. He pulled a "Dilfer" (i.e., to quote you, "just didn't make too many boneheaded plays").

no way, FYO, manning made the THROWS this postseason.  he just didn't manage games, he took the team on his back when the chips were down and blossomed into a leader.  he was really throwing some bombs and making clutch plays....i can't really say that he "just played it safe"

[StL FinFan]

The Dolphins will draft Matt Ryan with the fist pick.  MYTH

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Tommy, this is by FAR the rare exception, and not the rule.  That year, the Ravens had one of the greatest defenses the game has EVER seen, and Dilfer just didn't make too many boneheaded plays.

You just proved my point.  You own the point of attack, you can win with a game-managing QB. 

[DolFan619]

You just proved my point.  You own the point of attack, you can win with a game-managing QB. 

  It was that same mentality that made Wannstedt stick with Fiedler for so long, and look where that got the Dolphins.  Guys like Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, and Brad Johnson are the exceptions, not the rule.

[bsfins]

Anyone else realize what All those guy's mentioned had in common...(Trent Dilfer,Brad Johnson,We'll throw in Rex Grossman,and Even Eli Manning to an extent) Uncommonly great defenses playing the other side of the ball...Defenses that could score....Defenses that took their opponents out of their game,and were historically great.


Last time I checked the Dolphins are far from a great defense anymore....Teams that happen to have those incredible defenses typically don't have much money left for one of those franchise QB's....Eventually they sacrifice Defense,for better offenses.....

I say No (for the Billionth time) on Matt Ryan...Just because he's the (supposedly) best QB in the draft doesn't mean he's a franchise QB....It just means his shit doesn't smell quite as bad as the rest....

Edited to Note this sidebar..Let's also take into effect that when Dilfer won the Superbowl with the Ravens,they were playing the Giants..Brian Billick,and Jim Fassel were best friends,both known as Offensive guy's...Billick had an advantage of knowing Fassels offensive ideas....Then in 2003 when Tampa bay won,they were playing the Raiders where Gruden,was the head coach the previous year.....